Member and Event Portal
Learn stained glass and make a beautiful project. Choose from our great selection of colors and patterns! You’ll learn the safe operation of our cool tools including glass cutters, pliers, soldering iron, and grinder. You will assemble your piece using the copper-foil method. Materials are included.
Non-members: Make one or more projects during class depending on your speed and artistic talents.
Members: Free stained glass in a variety of colors and textures is included as part of your membership! After taking this sign off class, you'll be able to return as often as you wish to use the free stained glass, extensive tools, and supplies to make even more projects for your home or gifts. Combine this tool with the laser cutter or sublimation printer to add personal touches to your projects.
Sign Off: Stained Glass
Prerequisites: None
Safety Clothing: Please wear safety glasses, disposable gloves, mask, and closed toed shoes. No dangly sleeves and tie back long hair. Please arrive within 15 minutes of start time
Instructor: Shane Smith, enthusiastic and experience stained glass artist.
Class must meet minimum of 3 sign ups or refunds are issues.
Come out and learn the safe operation of our metalshop mills. We will cover the set-up of the mill, methods of securing parts, basic end mill bits, table operations, and understanding the Digital Read Out (DRO).
Sign offs: Enco Vertical Mill and Enco Index Mill
Prerequisites: Prior metalworking knowledge. We strongly advise inexperienced metalworkers take the Metal Shop Yellow class prior to taking this class.
Mandatory Safety Dress Code: Metal shop dress code enforced. Comfortable closed-toe shoes; no jewelry; no loose clothing; long pants, and hair/beard tied back. ==>DO NOT wear synthetics.
Instructor: Brian Smith _____________________________________________________________________________________ Non-members may take this class, but only subscribed members may earn the sign off which enables members ot return to use the tool for their projects. Although not required for sign off, we highly recommend that inexperienced or moderately experienced students select a project and come in for help and practice during our mentored Metal Shop Mondays Open Office Hours.
Important: You must arrive within 15 minutes of sign off class start time.
Our Mixed Media Shop offers a full suite of woodworking, metalworking and plastic-working tools. Learn the ins-and-outs of the more advanced tools in this hybrid sign-off class. Once signed off, members may access the Mixed Media Shops for their own projects as needed.
This class provides the inexperienced to moderately experienced maker with training and permission to use the following Mixed Media Shop Tools:
Sign off: MX_Advanced Tools
Instructor: Patrick/Woodshop cowboy
Safety Requirements: Closed toed shoes and no synthetic fibers due to fire and melting hazard.
Stop paying the dry cleaner or worse yet getting rid of clothes because of a small rip or missed button. With Sally's Survival Sewing class you can repair own clothes . . .
You will learn the running stich to repaired split seams. The blind hem stich to hem your own pants or skirts and how to replace a button.
Age Limit: must be old enough to thread a needle.
Class Fee Includes: all materials
Sign off: none
Instructor: Sally Byers
Additional Information: This class requires three attendees to run. If the class is cancelled do to lack of attendance, a full refund will be issued.
This class, in addition to Green Orientation (GO), is required in order to use the Saw Stop table saws and panel saw without supervision.
Learn how to use the NoVA Labs SawStop table saws and panel saw. In this rowdy 3 hr class, you will learn to employ the table saw and panel saw for the most frequently needed operations: precision cross-cutting and ripping. You'll also learn the true meaning of the phrases "finger-tight", and "about right". You'll learn about "kickback" and how to avoid it.
Class is required for everyone, regardless of experience level. Sufficiently motivated students who show competence will be signed off immediately at the conclusion of class.
Homework: Please review the Notions page for the class and watch this short video: Watch this BEFORE turning on a table saw
Sign off: Table Saw, Panel Saw
Prerequisite: None
Safety Dress Code: Woodshop dress code enforced. Comfortable closed-toed shoes; no loose clothing; and hair and beard tied back).
Instructor: Bill
This class, in addition to Green Orientation (GO), is required in order to use the router without supervision.
This safety class will introduce you to the router, the single most versatile tool in the woodshop. With the right accessories, the router can do it all. Learn to use a router safely as well as a few basic techniques. The class covers basic setup, operation, safety concerns, and a few particulars of using these tools at Nova Labs. Class required for everyone, regardless of experience level, and demonstrated competence is required to be certified to use the tools independently.
Review the material prior to attending the class: https://www.notion.so/novalabs/Router-Sign-off-Class-b3d3bc8b106c4358925edb3b0f3b317c
Sign off: Various routers
Tools Covered: Routers
Safety Dress Code: Woodshop dress code enforced. Comfortable closed-toed shoes; no loose clothing; and hair and beard tied back). Must wear a mask at all times.
**Refund and Events Policy: https://www.nova-labs.org/class-and-event-policies/
No refund if the student is non-compliant with the safety dress requirement or more than 15 minutes late for class.
Instructor: Anjelika
COME TO THE WOODSHOP DOOR ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING
This class, in addition to Green Orientation (GO), is required in order to use the bandsaw without supervision.
This hands-on class will teach students the basics of the NL woodshop bandsaws. The class period is first spent discussing and demonstrating bandsaw anatomy, safety principles and practices, and rules of the road. The remainder of the class period is spent on several hands-on exercises for rip, cross and freehand cutting as well as resawing. If time allows, exercises may include cutting irregularly shaped objects like logs (or lawgz, if you're from the South).
Class required for everyone, regardless of experience level. Students who demonstrate the suitable skill and knowledge at the conclusion of class will be signed off immediately.
Tool Sign-off: All Bandsaws (Rikon, General, Laguna)
Mandatory Safety Dress Code: Wear closed-toed shoes, and no loose clothing. Things that present an "entanglement hazard", like long hair or dangly jewelry should be tied back or removed.
Discover the foundations of silversmithing by making your own stackable rings! You will learn how to measure, cut, file, anneal and texture your metal before shaping it into a ring. You will then learn to solder the seam, quench and pickle, and discuss finishing. We will be using ring sizing mandrels, texturing hammers, Dremel tools, learning about jeweler's saws and files, and most importantly, learning how to make solder run without melting the whole thing!
Copper, brass and silver will be available, and you'll go home with your own custom-made rings! Keep them for yourself or they make great gifts.
Small butane torches will be used for soldering.
Prerequisites: None Sign off: Jewelry soldering sign off
Members will be allowed to return again and again to use the materials provided in The Studio and use the following tools: small butane torch, firebrick with heat resistant mat, soldering pick, pickle pot, ring mandrel, mallet/hammer, metal file, and jewelry saw.
Non-members are welcome to attend take this project class. You will leave with one or more rings of your own design.
Instructor: Margie Foster
This class covers the basics of blacksmithing with a simple, fun project. Makers learn essential skills like hammer control, tapering, bending and twisting as well as key safety items like how to avoid burning yourself, branding your friends or hitting yourself with blunt objects. You will leave with whatever metal you have beaten into submission. After you complete this class, you can join us at the "supervised practice sessions" and work on anything you can dream up, with help from experienced smiths.
PREREQUISITES: Age 16 and over. Any person aged 16 or 17 must have a parent remain on the premises in case of emergency.
SAFETY:
Welcome to Soldering 101! Here you'll be introduced to the basics of soldering, desoldering, reflow (baking boards), heat shrink, bench power supply, the oscilloscope, and more, all at the Nova Labs soldering station!
Sign off: Reflow Oven Prerequisite: none
An introductory lesson to the soldering, measuring, and debugging equipment we have here at Nova Labs, and how to keep them in tip-top shape! You'll be coming away with a battery-powered SMD project as well as a sign-off on the Nova Labs reflow oven, which is a yellow tool.
Instructor: Bryce Peterson, advanced electronics and programming engineer
Instructor: Christopher
Are you new to woodworking and interested in using hand tools like chisels, planes, saws, and rasps? Then this class is perfect for you!
In this beginner-friendly woodworking class you'll learn the basics of using hand tools. You'll discover the proper way to handle and care for the tools, including how to touch up an edge, store them, and keep them free from damage. We'll go over the different types of chisels and planes, and show you how to use them to achieve precision and finesse in your projects so you can confidently choose the right tool for the job.
By the end of the class, you'll leave with an improved familiarity with hand tools and the confidence to use tools safely. Plus, you’ll learn the real difference between rabbets and rebates!
Students are welcome to bring their own hand saws, chisels, or planes to the class – but there are plenty in the Bus Stop that we can all use.
Mold making and casting are an invaluable part of any maker's toolkit. Whether you want to create decorative pieces, mass produce 3D printed models, or make a one-off part for a DIY project, mold making and casting will produce durable, attractive finished products. These techniques can be used for jewelry making, prototyping, costumes, creating unique embellishments for your maker projects and many other uses.
This class will teach you how to make a box mold using silicone rubber and how to cast plastic parts in that mold. Each student will receive hands-on training. It will also cover the different materials available for mold making and casting, how to choose the right materials for your project, safe handling of materials and potential pitfalls like cure inhibition and bubble formation.
Recommended Clothing: The materials used in this class will permanently bond to anything they get on. It is strongly recommended you wear old work clothes and shoes you won't mind getting stained.
Instructor: Steve Fritzinger is the composites steward, woodworker, chef instructor, bread-maker, and cosplay expert.
Nova Labs has a fleet of Phrozen Sonic 4K LCD-based SLA 3D Printers. SLA printing is much higher resolution than our FDM machines, and the LCD process is a good bit faster than laser SLA. These machines can be used to print jewelry or miniatures with a resolution of ~ 50 microns, but the prints do require a bit of post-processing before use. These machines are great for prints that are small but require more detail than the FDM machines can provide.
If you are interested in learning about this exciting technology and getting signed off on the equipment please join us.
Note: This class does not cover the Form Labs Form 3 SLA 3d printer which is a separate sign off.
Please arrive at this safety class on time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, you may not be able to take the class and there will not be a refund or rescheduling.
This hands-on class will cover the basic skills of working safely and effectively with sheet metal in our metal shop. You’ll learn the safe operation of the key sheet forming tools by laying out a simple box from a pattern, cutting it to dimension using different shears, bending it into shape, and spot-welding the corners. Materials are included.
Non-members may take this class, especially if you have this equipment at home or have some basic metalworking. The project is a fun one to make and students use several tools.
Sign Off: Members may return to use the Jump Shear, Throatless Shear, Sheet Metal Box & Pan Brake, Spot Welder.
Prerequisites: Metalshop basic class is highly recommended, but not required.
Safety Clothing: Please wear safety glasses, long pants, and closed-toed shoes. Do not wear rings, watches, necklaces, lanyards, or bracelets, tie back long hair. You may wish to bring lightweight gloves.
Note: If you arrive at the class without the prerequisites, this is a violation of policy, and you will not be able to attend or receive a refund. Additionally, the class builds in a 15-minute window to allow for traffic events. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late the class will have already started and you will not be caught up, nor will you receive a sign off or a refund for the class.
Instructor: Chip Levy is an experienced metalworker and metal artist who has had his work selected for local and regional galleries and exhibitions and in private collections.