Linda Wooster is over the moon to have a wood shop of her own.
Technically, the shop belongs to the Shuswap Makerspace, located on the lower level of Salmon Arm's Innovation Centre (the bright colourful building downtown on Shuswap Street). Having just completed the mandatory Woodshop 101 training, however, Wooster is now able to use the shop to pursue her own projects.
"It91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s like I have my own woodworking shop now," said Wooster. "I can come down here anytime and use the saw and drill and all this stuff91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¦ that just blows me away!"
Describing herself as a "crafty person," the Salmon Arm resident said she'd been aware of the Makerspace since it, but not of the resources it makes available to the community. That changed last November when she attended a Makerspace open house.
"I knew it was a beautiful building and it said Innovation Centre91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¦," said Wooster. "I even read the little article they wrote a long time ago that listed they had a 3-D printer and they had laser cutting and all this stuff. I didn91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t know what any of that stuff was and just thought that91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s high tech stuff for business people."
Wooster said she'd always wanted to take a woodworking course, and when she learned one was offered through the Makerspace, she signed up to take part in the six-hour introductory course held on Saturday, Jan. 18. Led by retired cabinet maker and craftsperson Ed Campbell, Wooster and fellow participants were instructed on how to safely use the various machines and power tools available in the shop. In the process, Wooster got to build a folding step stool.
"He had us on every piece of equipment, we were sawing, we were routing the edges, making them smoother 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ I didn91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t even know what that was 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ we were using screwdrivers and drills and sanders and big machines there," said Wooster, a retired home economics teacher and award-winning seamstress.
"I taught tailoring in university down in the States and I91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™ve done some great projects for the art gallery and the fair and different places. But to take wood and make something so beautiful and smooth and so professional looking 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ Ed was a great teacher!"
Excited by the DIY possibilities of the Makerspace, Wooster was registered to take its Intro to 3D Printing course on Jan. 24, and planned to take an introduction to stained glass making on Feb. 8.
Wooster was also looking forward to the Intro to Sewing for Adults course (Jan. 30), which she will be teaching. The three-hour course, for ages 16 and up, will involve learning about a sewing machine and how ot use it. Participants will construct a linen fabric shopping bag that they can decorate. All materials and machines will be provided.
"Finding this makerspace has opened up a whole new world," said Wooster. "Learning stained glass 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ I wanted to do that my whole life. And learning woodshop 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ I love to do that! My husband is not a handyman and I91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™ve had to fix things over the years. But to really fix things, I91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™ve got my own woodworking shop91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¦ I91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™m excited!"
Since discovering it for herself, Wooster said she's been spreading the word about the Makerspace, finding "most people I talk to don't even know what the Makerspace is."
Corinne Durham went through a similar experience, not being familiar with the Makerspace until taking a tour. She's been the Makerspace coordinator for about a year, and has been working to get the word out and bring people into the facility.
"In the last year it91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s come leaps and bounds," said Durham. "I am filling all of the classes 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ I have wait lists in most of them!"
Durham said the Makerspace opened in 2018, and has been operating as a not-for-profit society since 2022, with support of invaluable volunteer instructors who share their expertise through various courses and educational opportunities. The facility is also home to Repair Cafe events, where people can bring things such as small appliances, lamps and clothing in need of repair.
People can sign up for classes and can also arrange group/private classes.
"We keep all our class sizes relatively small so it91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s more like a one-on-one education91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¦," said Durham.
People need to register in advance for the classes offered at the Makerspace. Accessing the space can be done on a drop-in basis ($10 per visit) or by .
The Makerspace is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday/Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 250-833--0608 or email NHSP@saeds.ca. You can also visit the Shuswap Makerspace online at innovates.ca/makerspace/ and on Facebook.