NAVIGATION
UPCOMING EVENTS
Donate
Get Help with an Incident
IMPORTANT: Events are colored by category. To view a list instead of a calendar, click the "Switch to List View" in the top right corner of the calendar.
Do Not Sign Up For This Event Until You Have Spoken to Darrin Minehan
We understand that some people may not have availability during the regularly scheduled Drum Sander Trainings Dates/Time.
Darrin, who is normally in the shop during standard week day business hours, has volunteered to do Ad Hoc Trainings on the Drum Sander for those Folks that work evenings or generally not available after standard business hours.
You must Contact Darrin Minehan via email, or talk to him in person to Receive the Code needed to Purchase a Ticket for This Training.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a NON-REFUNDABLE ticket. Once you purchase this ticket you may not request a refund/credit for any reason.
Noodling Night is an event for TCMaker members and their guests only.
Join other TCMaker members for a night of music making! Or maybe just music -adjacent noisemaking, we'll see how it goes.
All Instruments Welcome - Talent Optional!
This is the place to be if you'd like to get checked off to use the mills and lathes in the machine shop. Here I will assess your skillset and determine when you can get a key to the power switch for them. If you have a project in mind, bring your thoughts and plans about it. Don't worry if you have little or no experience; I will provide one-one one training to get you up to speed. These are dangerous machines that cut metal like butter and they can kill you. Most professional organizations require at least one semester of hands-on training before they check-off employees - and for good reason. TCM is a volunteer organization, not a professional one, so I try to be as accommodating as possible - but as long as you don't expect to walk off with the keys to the kingdom after one or two friday evenings, I will be happy to work with you. My name is Phil. This calendar won't let me make this event recurring if I enable official registrations, so if you would please send me an email at complicatedlight@ gmail.com or text me at 612.483.0250 before showing up I'd be much obliged. If it look too crowded on a particular friday, we'll make other arrangements.
This time is set aside to perform tasks around making sure our tools stay in peak performance and trying to ensure that the tools stay in good working order during the following month.
Never repaired a tool or performed maintenance before – not a problem!! There are maintenance task for all levels of expertise – and we’ll always have at least one person around that can help you learn!
Fiber Night on Wednesday in the lobby for anyone who wants to join! We'll be working on beginning knitting and crochet but are open to any other suggestions
Twin Cities Maker (TC Maker) is a non-profit, all volunteer run, community maker space based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Our mission is to make, share, and learn.
We have a maker space (The Hack Factory) for members to build projects using various media and technologies, from wood and metal working, electronics to fabrics, laser cutters to 3D Printers and beyond.
We invite you to come visit our space and take a tour to learn about our community, and how you can participate in it. Wednesday nights from 7-9pm is also the best time to become a member!
Learn more about us at our website! https://www.tcmaker.org/
This event is a tour only. Non-members are not permitted to operate any tools or equipment. Appropriate safety precautions MUST be taken before entering the shop.
Orientation cover basic shop safety guidelines and best practices that are necessary to use the wood shop @ Twin Cities Maker!
Whether you are an experienced picker or brand new to the hobby, Open Locksport is an opportunity to meet other people in the area who are interested in picking locks for fun. Many regular attendees are interested in other security related topics as well, such as the intersection of cyber and physical security.
We welcome both members and non-members to attend Open Locksport any first Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM. We do ask that you RSVP to this event.
Whether you are brand new to picking or an experienced picker, stop by to learn hands-on from our frequent attendees or to share your knowledge while we explore locks and tools provided by TC Maker.
Resources
Text-based
A Locksport Primer http://www.locksport.com/home/index.php
This link leads to a PDF hosted by Locksport International that goes over some of the basics of locksport, locks and lock picking in a friendly comic book format.
TOOOL Learning Resources https://www.toool.us/resources.php
The Open Organization of Lockpickers is the most active locksport organization in the world, and maintains many well-developed resources in text and graphical form (slides) to learn the basics and beyond.
Lockpicking - by Deviant Ollam https://deviating.net/lockpicking/slides.html
Collection of slides and notes about many lock and lockpicking topics, some duplicated from Toool with some new material for those who want to go deeper.
Video
Learn Lock Picking: EVERYTHING you Need to Know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTZddvAws9M
By Lock Noob, a prolific YouTube creator with hundreds of useful videos.
DEF CON 23 - Lock Picking Village - Preston Thomas - Intro to Lockpicking 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU7-r83Nx3Y
Published by DEFCON, the massive hacking conference. A bit of a rough recording of a lock picking village intro, but sufficiently clear and quite succinct. Runtime 27 min.
[1424] Lock Picking… An Inside Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_sy3dLwHkc
By LockPickingLawyer, another prolific YouTube creator with massive amounts of lock picking content. This video shows some picking techniques in great resolution and detail utilizing a cutaway lock.
Bosnianbill – a retired prolific creator with 1800+ videos on topics at all skill levels https://www.youtube.com/@bosnianbill/videos
Where to buy lock picking tools, and what to buy
Best places to get a cost-effective and serviceable beginner’s set of tools?
Covert Instruments (LockPickingLawyer’s online store) https://covertinstruments.com/collections/lockpicks/products/genesis-lock-pick
Toool’s Equipment Page https://www.toool.us/equipment/Necessary-Nine-Pickset-p365089401
Red Team Tools (Deviant Ollam’s online store) https://www.redteamtools.com/essential-lock-pick-set/
Lockpick Extreme https://lockpickextreme.com/product/12-piece-lockpick-set/
All of these sets are similar in capability in price, ranging from $19 - $30 (before shipping) with the Covert Instruments offering edging out the others because of how they have narrowed the short-end of their double-ended turning tools.
When purchasing lock picks for the first time, it is important to realize that more shapes (profiles) don’t necessarily correlate to more capability. Keeping with the basics improves your versatility as a picker as well as keeps your costs to a minimum.
If you are interested in looking at more advanced sets, here are some manufacturers to check out:
Peterson https://www.thinkpeterson.com
Sparrows https://www.sparrowslockpicks.com
Multipick https://shop.multipick.com/en/index
Southern Specialties https://lockpicktools.com
SouthOrd https://www.southord.com
Additional online communities you might be interested in
The old-school forums that started the hobby in the early 2000’s are still alive and brimming with knowledge:
Keypicking https://keypicking.com
Lock Picking 101 Forum https://www.lockpicking101.com
Most day-to-day conversation has migrated to Reddit, mainly r/lockpicking https://www.reddit.com/r/lockpicking/
Lockpickers United Discord https://discord.gg/lockpicking
Join this in-person orientation to learn more about the CNC routers at Twin Cities Maker.
Orientation will start in the classroom—not the CNC room.
Agenda:
CNC orientation is generally held on the second Friday of the month.
Whether you are a brand new member of Twin Cities Maker, or have been a member for a really long time but haven't been in the shop for awhile, attending a new member orientation will get you up to speed on the policies, guidelines, and culture of Twin Cities Maker.
Signup, download a copy of our handbook, and come to session, meet some new people, get questions answered, and get acquainted with Twin Cities Maker. go.tcmaker.org/handbook
Orientation lasts for about 1 hour with time after for questions, support for issues, and to hang out after. After you have completed orientation you will receive your fob to access the facility and once you have paid your fob will be activated.
Registration for the event is required for attendance so that class sizes are small enough to facilitate learning and our volunteers have time to assign key fobs.If you cannot attend an in person orientation, please reach out to membership@tcmaker.org so that we can work out special arrangements.
Join the CNC Club at Twin Cities Maker, a vibrant community for CNC enthusiasts! Whether you're a seasoned expert or just curious about CNC technology, this club offers a space for members and interested newcomers to engage, share insights, and deepen their understanding of CNC machinery and techniques.
During our gatherings, the Shapeoko2 and the Sequoyatec 4×8 machines are exclusively available for club activities, providing hands-on experience. We encourage you to bring your projects, questions, or simply your enthusiasm for learning—there's something for everyone, from practical demonstrations to engaging discussions.
Our club convenes on the second Thursday of every month, from 7pm to 9pm, promising an evening filled with fascinating topics and guest speakers who are experts in the field of CNC.
In line with the Twin Cities Maker spirit, we strive to cultivate an environment that is not only educational but also supportive and inclusive. Our core values emphasize Excellence, Respect, and Consideration for one another, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere for all participants.
Stay updated and join the conversation on our dedicated #dept-cnc Slack channel, where you'll find announcements and lively discussions. For highlights and upcoming events, don't miss out on Lonnie Bryan's posts in the same channel.
While registration is not mandatory, it is appreciated as it helps us anticipate attendance and tailor our sessions to meet the interests of the group. Join us at CNC Club, where your passion for CNC meets community and creativity!
This is basic metal shop orientation required for all new users of the shop.
We provide training on usage of the power shear, slip roller and press brake (box & pan brake) in the metal shop.
Donations will be accepted, but not required for the Brats
Time to make the place clean and shiny! Remember, all shop areas are CLOSED during Quarterly Cleanups.
Twin Cities Maker will hold it's annual member meeting on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 1pm at the makerspace. The shops will be closed for the duration of the meeting, and food will be provided before or after.
The full agenda of the meeting will be posted later, but will include:
Address: 3119 E. 26th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Check out the Wiki, our FAQs, or ask the Community on Slack
Contact us or Email us