How small can a makerspace be and still be useful? That’s what we’re going to find out. My friend Lars has decided to devote the spare office at Local64, the downtown co-working space, to making. First in, my Glowforge, on more or less permanent loan. Next, a 3D printer and a sewing machine. After that a microcontroller lab, with all the various wired and wireless boards everybody has been collecting for the past few years.  The space is a little less than 20×20 feet, so it’s not clear how much additional stuff will fit without crowding out the people.

On the one hand, we have the advantage of Local64’s conference room and other spaces (and their community of artists). On the other hand, people work here and expect reasonable quiet and breathable air, so there are some things we just can’t run — say an uncovered CNC router or an unshielded welding rig.

What else should be going in this space?