By: Rob Whent, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (As seen in October’s Biz X Magazine) When I was a kid growing up in South Windsor, my Dad had an amazing workshop in our basement. He had a radial arm saw that made me jump every time he turned it on (and made the lights dim momentarily too) and all sorts of tools and jars full of screws and bolts and hooks and all sorts of crazy things. His tool bench had a grinder permanently attached to it and outlines of various tool shapes on the backboard indicated where the tools were supposed to be (and they usually were unless I took them and forgot to put them back). In the corner was the best thing of all – the wood bin. Odds and ends of all shapes and sizes of misfit lumber could be found here and this is where my imagination could run wild. Pounding a few nails into a plank and connecting string to it could be a makeshift boat that I could sail in Lake Susan at the Roseland golf course (or in our basement which flooded frequently).
The greatest thing of all here was of course being able to MAKE something with my dad. Fast forward a few decades into the digital era and computers and laptops have replaced the radial arm saws of yesteryear, opening up a world of possibilities never before imagined, but it has taken away the joy of accomplishment you get when pounding a 3 inch nail into a board to make a boat. That’s all starting to change with what is being called the “Maker Movement”.
A “Maker” can be defined as anyone that wants to make something, or invent something, and wants to be able to bring it to life themselves. It really is starting to put an emphasis back on inventing things (Thomas Edison is one of the most famous Makers) and a Maker Space is a physical location filled with all sorts of tools and equipment and people to help you create your masterpiece. Also known as Do-it-yourselfers, or hackers, makers often come together to solve problems or to brainstorm ideas. New technology, specifically 3D printers – are changing the way we invent things. Now, with the right software, you can design something and print it our right then and there. It’s like my dad’s basement meets the Jetsons. The radial saw is now a printer that can create 3 dimensional objects out of plastic and other materials. Instead of a board with a nail in it, my new boat can be a 3D model of the Queen Mary.
Maker spaces are popping up all over the place allowing anyone to use today’s tools to create things that couldn’t be created before opening up a whole NEW world of possibilities and communities need to support this movement.  Windsor is fortunate to have one currently running out the main branch of the Windsor Public Library at 850 Ouellette. Hackforge (www.hackf.org) is a shared space where creative technological minds come together and make things happen. Their tagline is “With many hammers, we strike one forge. Doug Sartori, the Hackforge President says “We’ve had people come in with no technical knowledge who are now building complex electronics.  Working on these projects together has been a great experience.  People really start to learn when they engage their passions.”
My dad would have been so proud!
For more information on the Maker Movement, go to this this url to view the “We are Makers” video. http://vimeo.com/learningstudio/wearemakers