Shops and studios
Woodshop (4,000 sq. ft.): SawStop table saws (2), 16” jointer, 20” planer, 14” bandsaws (2), lathe (12” swing), router table, dust collection (2,500 CFM), hand-tool wall (Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Japanese pull saws). Metal Shop (3,000 sq. ft.): TIG/MIG/stick welders (6 stations), 4”x6” horizontal bandsaw, 12” cutoff saw, Bridgeport mill, South Bend lathe, sheet-metal brake, slip roll, English wheel, plasma cutter (CNC). Ceramics Studio (2,500 sq. ft.): 18 wheels, slab roller, extruder, glaze lab (ventilated), gas reduction kiln (24 cu. ft.), electric kilns (3), raku kiln (outdoor, shared with Fine Art). Textiles & Soft Goods (1,200 sq. ft.): industrial straight-stitch (4), walking-foot (2), serger (2), coverstitch, embroidery machine (12-needle), cutting table (10’x5’), dress forms (8), pattern library. Electronics Bench (800 sq. ft.): oscilloscopes (4), logic analyzers, soldering/rework stations (8), SMT hot-air, pick-and-place (manual), component library (passives, MCUs, sensors, RF).
Digital fabrication
CNC Router (4’x8’ bed, 3-axis, 10 HP spindle) — plywood, hardwood, foam, plastics, non-ferrous metals. CNC Mill (Haas VF-2SS, 40-taper, 12K RPM) — aluminum, steel, titanium, plastics. Waterjet (OMAX 55100, 5’x10’, 60K PSI) — anything that doesn’t shatter (stone, glass, composites, hardened steel). Laser Cutters (2x Epilog Fusion Pro 48, 120W) — wood, acrylic, leather, fabric, paper, anodized aluminum. 3-D Printing Farm (24 printers): 12x Prusa MK4 (PLA, PETG, TPU, ASA), 6x Bambu Lab X1C (multi-material, carbon-fiber), 4x Formlabs 3L (SLA, engineering resins, biocompatible), 2x Markforged X7 (continuous carbon fiber, Onyx, metal). 3-D Scanning: Artec Eva (structured light), Creaform HandySCAN (laser), photogrammetry rig (80-camera). Filament Recycling: failed prints → shredder → Filabot EX2 → 1.75 mm spool (65% recovery, student-run).
Access, training, and safety
Who can use it: All enrolled students, faculty, staff (free). Alumni & community: $75/month or $600/year (includes storage locker). Required for everyone: General Safety Orientation (1 hr, online + in-person walkthrough), Shop-Specific Badge per area (wood, metal, ceramics, textiles, electronics, digital) — 2–4 hrs each, scheduled weekly. Badge tiers: Green (supervised use during staffed hours), Blue (unsupervised during staffed hours), Red (24/7 keycard access, requires 50+ hrs logged + staff nomination + practical exam). Staffing: 3 full-time shop managers + 15 student leads (paid, Tier 3 wages). Hours: Mon–Thu 8 a.m.–11 p.m., Fri 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 12 p.m.–6 p.m. (reduced during breaks). Safety culture: “Stop work” authority for anyone; incident reports are learning tools, not discipline.
Materials and the supply store
The Forge Supply Store (lobby, self-serve, card-only) stocks: domestic hardwoods (maple, walnut, cherry, oak), plywood (Baltic birch, marine, MDF), steel (hot-rolled, cold-rolled, aluminum, stainless), clay (Standard 112, 266, porcelain), glazes (bucket program, 50+ recipes), filament (PLA, PETG, TPU, ASA, nylon, carbon-fiber — $22–$48/kg), resin (Standard, Tough, Flexible, Dental, Castable), leather (veg-tan, chrome-tan, scraps bin), fabric (denim, canvas, ripstop, merino, deadstock). Scrap bins (wood offcuts, metal drops, clay reclaim, fabric remnants) are free. Project storage: 100 lockers (12”x12”x24”), semester rental $10 (students), $25 (alumni/community); large-project bay (20’x20’) by application.
Curricular integration
For-credit courses taught in the Forge: ME 2100 Design & Manufacturing (CNC mill, waterjet, GD&T), ART 2300 Sculpture: Metal & Wood (welding, joinery, patina), DES 3100 Digital Fabrication (CAD/CAM workflow, laser, CNC, 3-D print), ENG 4900 Capstone Build (interdisciplinary teams, client projects). Micro-credentials (non-credit, badge on transcript): CNC Router Operator, TIG Welder, SLA Printer Specialist, Laser Cutter Pro — each 12 hrs training + practical. Faculty project support: The Forge budgets $15K/year for curricular materials (course projects, senior design, faculty research apparatus) — apply by November 1 for spring, April 1 for fall.
Community hours and events
Open Build Nights (Tuesdays 6–9 p.m., no badge needed for hand tools & lasers): pizza provided, project show-and-tell at 8 p.m. Repair Café (first Saturday monthly, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.): community brings broken lamps, torn jeans, cracked ceramics — student volunteers diagnose and fix (parts at cost). Iron Pour Prep (Sept–Oct, weekly): mold-making workshops for the Iron Pour (open to all). Make & Take (Friday 3–5 p.m., rotating): laser-cut jewelry, ceramic mug, welded bottle opener, 3-D-printed planter — materials $5–$15, keep what you make. Forge Fest (last Friday in April): open house, tool demos, student project exhibition, industry sponsors, the Golden Chisel awards (peer-voted: most clever, most beautiful, most useful, most chaotic).
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The makerspace, equipment, programs, and events described here are invented for this fictional university. No real facilities or programs are depicted.