Clear Creek Makerspace

Intro to Metal Cutting, Drilling, and Grinding

Tue, May 26 · 16:30 MDT

Clear Creek Makerspace, 9110 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, US

This is an overview of how to cut, drill, and grind basic metal stock to use for your projects.

👉 Sign up for Intro to Metal Cutting, Drilling, and Grinding

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About this event
This 90 minute workshop will give you a more in depth look at the equipment and how to cut, drill, and grind basic metal stock to use for your projects. You will learn how to properly operate the horizontal bandsaw, the metal shop drill press, grinding wheel, and hand held angle grinders, while keeping all fingers and limbs intact. This is a hands-on class so please wear close-toed shoes and comfortable well fitted clothing.

After this course you will:

• Feel safe working with this equipment in the metal shop
• Gain hands-on experience with operating the bandsaw, drill press, and grinders
• Cut down metal stock to a more manageable size to start working on projects

No prior experience needed for this course, all supplies and materials are provided.
Please wear comfortable well-fitted clothing, close-toed shoes, put your hair up, remove any jewelry, and be prepared to learn about working with metals. Please note: this class is for ages 18 and up!

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What we will go over:

1) General Shop Rules
2) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
3) Intro to Metal Shop Equipment and Workshop Overview
4) Horizontal Band Saw

• Band Saw Safety
• Machine Overview
• Blade Selection and Cutting
• Operation and Intructor Demo
• Student Supervised Practice (Hands-On)

5) Grinders

• Grinder Safety
• Grinding Wheel and Instructor Demo
• Angle Grinders

6) Drill Press

• Drill Press Safety
• Machine Overview
• Operation and Instructor Demo
• Student Supervised Practice (Hands-On)

Clean Up & Equipment Maintenance
*Please note that this class is focused on learning to safely use the tools and equipment above. This will be a hands-on class and will qualify you for using the bandsaw, drill press, and grinders after the course.

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We're excited that you're interested in this workshop and we're glad you found us! That said, this page is NOT the official registration for the class.

To officially save your spot, please make sure you finish signing up through the link below. If you don't, we won't be able to hold a spot for you, even if you've RSVP'd here.

If you're planning to join us, take a moment to complete registration so we know to expect you. We're excited to see what you make at Clear Creek Makerspace!

👉 Sign up for Intro to Metal Cutting, Drilling, and Grinding

Explore the Clear Creek Makerspace: Free Public Tour

Wed, May 27 · 12:00 MDT

Clear Creek Makerspace, 9110 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, US

Curious about the makerspace? Discover 7,500 sq ft of creative possibilities! Explore equipment, tour the space, and meet our community.

👉 Sign up for Explore the Clear Creek Makerspace: Free Public Tour

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Curious about the Clear Creek Makerspace? We're one of Colorado’s largest community makerspaces and among Metro Denver’s go-to destinations for hands-on DIY and creative expression. During this free tour, you'll get an inside look at our massive 7,500-square-foot facility in the heart of Wheat Ridge, just 15 minutes from downtown Denver.

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During the tour, our team will guide you through our three primary workshops:

• A state-of-the-art 1100 sq. ft. Fab Lab featuring laser cutters, 3D printers, electronics stations, and tons of crafting equipment
• A fully-equipped 1500 sq. ft. Woodshop with everything from hand tools and table saws to large CNC routers
• A comprehensive 1000 sq. ft. Metal Shop packed with welders, mills, lathes, and plasma cutters. You'll learn about our affordable membership options, upcoming workshops, and the vibrant maker community you can be part of. Whether you're interested in small-scale crafting or building life-size metal dinosaurs, this tour will show you how Clear Creek Makerspace can bring your creative ideas to life.

The best part? This event is free and open to all members of the public. No prior making experience required – just bring your curiosity and your questions!fy

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What’s a makerspace? Just think of us as a gym for your creative muscles. We provide affordable access to high-tech tools that you might not have at home. Maybe those tools are too expensive, too niche, too large or unwieldy, or maybe your family and friends just don’t want you to take over the entire garage with a massive 4’ x 8’ CNC router. That’s where we come in. Got a hankering to laser-etch your face onto toast? We’ve got you covered. Want to 3D print a realistic replica of your cat? Meowyou’re talking. Itching to weld together a life-size metal T-Rex for your front yard? We’ll help you ignite that Jurassic spark. It’s our job to provide you with the tools and equipment to enable you to create anything you can dream up. It’s your job to harness these tools and let your imagination run wild.

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Pronouns: she/her
👋 Jenny McManus is the assistant manager at Clear Creek Makerspace. Jenny brings over six years of experience in arts, events, culture and theatre, and is deeply passionate about empowering others to be creative. She has worked with Meow Wolf Denver, Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, and a wide variety of Denver creatives.
Outside the makerspace, Jenny enjoys Hip Hop, Jazz music, and any other artform which elevates the mind! She goes roller skating twice a week, and is a passionate learner of string figures, learning many cat's cradle shapes created by peoples all around the globe.

━━━━━━━━━━━PLEASE NOTE!━━━━━━━━━━━━━

We're excited that you're interested in this workshop and we're glad you found us! That said, this page is NOT the official registration for the class.

To officially save your spot, please make sure you finish signing up through the link below. If you don't, we won't be able to hold a spot for you, even if you've RSVP'd here.

If you're planning to join us, take a moment to complete registration so we know to expect you. We're excited to see what you make at Clear Creek Makerspace!

👉 Sign up for Explore the Clear Creek Makerspace: Free Public Tour

Clear Creek Makerspace Safety Orientation

Thu, May 28 · 17:30 MDT

Clear Creek Makerspace, 9110 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, US

Ready to use equipment on your own at CCM? In SAF101, we'll cover the key safety rules that unlock your 24/7 access to the makerspace!

👉 Sign up for Clear Creek Makerspace Safety Orientation

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It's important to us that you enter and leave the makerspace with the same number of fingers and toes that you entered with. That's why every CCM member, no matter their prior experience, needs to attend SAF101: Basic Safety in the Clear Creek Makerspace before using any equipment on their own.
This mandatory course lays the foundation for a safe and successful experience, guiding you through our comprehensive safety protocols, policies, and the exciting array of equipment available to unleash your potential.
Over the 60-minute workshop, you'll learn key facts like:

• not everything's a hammer
• where it's acceptable to crunch on those crumbly granola bars, and
• how to avoid violating the Geneva Convention

After SAF101, you'll receive an automated email inviting you to join the CreateEd program, our one-stop-shop for tracking your training progress and reserving equipment. No join code needed -- just follow the instructions in the follow-up email after completing SAF101.
You'll use the CreateEd program to track your progress, take quizzes to add courses and equipment access to your portfolio, and reserve approved machines 24/7, 365 days a year.Looking for a Safety Orientation on Monday or Tuesday? Sign up for a class with Tyler!

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You'll need to attend SAF101 before you can use any equipment at CCM. By the end of the course, you should have a firm handle on:
Makerspaces 101

• What makerspaces, makers, and maker culture are
• The mission of Clear Creek Makerspace, and some of our most important policies
• How the CreateEd program works

What you can (and can't) do in a makerspace, including:

• General workshop rules & policies
• Food, drink, and material policies
• Makerspace equipment policies

Makerspace-specific safety rules and emergency procedures, including:

• Marked zones within CCM,
• PPE requirements in those zones, and
• How to interpret safety cards and find important info
• Additional safety rules & regulations
• Emergency procedures

━━━━━━━━━━━PLEASE NOTE!━━━━━━━━━━━━━

We're excited that you're interested in this workshop and we're glad you found us! That said, this page is NOT the official registration for the class.

To officially save your spot, please make sure you finish signing up through the link below. If you don't, we won't be able to hold a spot for you, even if you've RSVP'd here.

If you're planning to join us, take a moment to complete registration so we know to expect you. We're excited to see what you make at Clear Creek Makerspace!

👉 Sign up for Clear Creek Makerspace Safety Orientation

Intro to Wood Lathes: Turn a Pen

Thu, May 28 · 18:00 MDT

Clear Creek Makerspace, 9110 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO, US

Learn the techniques needed to turn and assemble a pen on the lathe. All materials provided!

👉 Sign up for Intro to Wood Lathes: Turn a Pen

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Learn how to create a beautiful, handcrafted pen from start to finish using a wood lathe. In this hands-on class, you’ll turn a pen blank, shape it with turning tools, sand and finish the surface, and assemble a fully functional pen you can take home.
You’ll learn essential pen turning techniques including safe lathe operation, tool control, shaping, sanding, finishing, and final assembly. We’ll use core tools such as the wood lathe, pen mandrel, bushings, carbide or traditional turning tools, sanding materials, and a pen press.
No prior experience is necessary—this class is perfect for beginners and anyone curious about woodturning.
A handmade pen makes a meaningful and personal gift—especially with Father’s Day around the corner.
Please wear comfortable well-fitted clothing, close-toed shoes, put your hair up, and be prepared to get a little dirty!

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1. Welcome & Safety Overview (10–15 minutes)

• Introductions
• Overview of the process and finished example
• Lathe safety fundamentals:
• Proper stance and body positioning
• Tool rest adjustment
• Safe speeds for pen turning
• Eye protection and dust considerations
• Basic parts of the lathe

2. Materials & Tools Overview (10–15 minutes)

• Pen kit components (tube, tip, transmission, clip, cap)
• Pen blank and brass tube
• Mandrel, bushings, and how they work
• Turning tools:
• Carbide rougher and finisher (or roughing gouge/spindle gouge if using traditional)
• Sandpaper grits and finishing materials
• Pen press for assembly

3. Mounting the Blank on the Lathe (10–15 minutes)

• Demonstrate mandrel setup
• Installing bushings and blank
• Tightening properly without over-tightening
• Adjusting tool rest correctly
• Selecting proper speed

4. Turning the Pen Blank (45–60 minutes)

• Demonstrate basic cutting technique
• Proper tool control and body movement
• Turning from square to round
• Shaping to bushing diameter
• Creating smooth, even profiles

Students turn their own pen with guidance.
5. Sanding & Finishing (20–30 minutes)

• Proper sanding technique on the lathe
• Progressive grits (example: 150 → 220 → 320 → 400 → 600)
• Optional micro-mesh demonstration
• Applying finish (friction polish, CA finish, or oil/wax)
• Achieving a smooth, durable surface

6. Pen Assembly (15–20 minutes)

• Overview of pen press
• Proper order of assembly
• Pressing components safely
• Ensuring proper alignment and function

Students assemble and complete their pen.
7. Wrap-Up & Questions (5–10 minutes)

• Troubleshooting tips
• Basic tool recommendations for beginners
• Care and maintenance of their pen
• Questions and discussion

━━━━━━━━━━━PLEASE NOTE!━━━━━━━━━━━━━

We're excited that you're interested in this workshop and we're glad you found us! That said, this page is NOT the official registration for the class.

To officially save your spot, please make sure you finish signing up through the link below. If you don't, we won't be able to hold a spot for you, even if you've RSVP'd here.

If you're planning to join us, take a moment to complete registration so we know to expect you. We're excited to see what you make at Clear Creek Makerspace!

👉 Sign up for Intro to Wood Lathes: Turn a Pen