From the April 2023 Newsletter:
It has been busy at the Barn! The metal lathe class is finished, but we will soon have a crash course in Fusion 360, (more about that later). Joe Foster has been doing a great job teaching the “hands on” part of the welding course. To learn more about this program contact Joe. Elizabeth and Jody are hosting a group of Tiger Cub scouts helping them make some pinewood derby cars. Jody and others will be helping a bunch of youngsters make stuff on April 8th. If you want to help out, contact Jody through Slack.
On June 4th, we will have a Grand 7 Year Birthday Celebration for The MakerBarn. If you would like to help plan the event, contact Kathy Barbieri.
Websites like Thingiverse are great places to get designs for 3D printing. There are thousands of designs already in STL format for printing. But what if you would like to do your own design, something that precisely meets your needs. To do this you need a 3D CAD program like Fusion 360. Getting the software is easy and free, learning how to use it is the problem.
On April 17th, 18th, and 19th, I will be teaching a crash course on Fusion 360. This course will not make you a professional 3D CAD expert, and will probably teach some bad habits, but it will get you familiarized enough with Fusion 360 to start making your own designs and prepare them for printing on one of our 3D printers. The course includes a textbook that will be a good reference as your skill improves. The cost of the course is $25 paid to the The MakerBarn. This covers the cost of the text. The class will be 7:00pm to 9:00pm on 3 evenings April 17th through the 19th. There are 10 openings for the course. Three are three prerequisites for the course; no experience with Fusion 360 (if you already know Fusion 360, please leave the openings for those who really need it), you must bring a computer with Fusion 360 installed and operating (we will not have time in the class to troubleshoot an install), and you must have a desire to learn how to make your own designs for 3D printing. If there are problems getting Fusion 360 to run, we may have a troubleshooting session on Sunday evening before the class begins on Monday. Email me at [email protected] to reserve your seat in the class.
George Carlson
President, MakerBarn
