Hello Open Bench Community!
I’m Matt, your new OBP blogger and guide. You have probably seen me around the shop, likely grease-stained and hovering over the metal lathe or the Bridgeport milling machine.
The pride and joy of owning part of the e30 BMW ice racer!
When I’m not monkeying around with metal or crawling around under a ridiculous BMW that’s older than I am, I’m usually scheming how to make all of our experiences at the Open Bench Project richer and more rewarding.
This post is a way to introduce myself to you, and to give you more information about the OBP’s newest weekly feature: Guide Time. Three times each week in the evening, an Open Bench guide will be on hand to assist you in the three major areas of the shop, metal-working, wood-working, and electronics.
Every Tuesday, I’ll be in the metal shop and at your disposal between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. What these sessions become is entirely up to the members, but to get the ball rolling, here is a “menu” of things I can help with.
–Welding — mild steel, aluminum, stainless
–Sheet metal shaping, bending and forming
–Precision-ish machining with the lathe and milling machine
–Cutting, finishing and painting metal or wood
–Skills refreshers on specific machines, including the metal lathe, Bridgeport milling machine, MIG welder, TIG welder, plasma cutter, sheet metal brake, and sheet metal bead roller
This blog will also feature members’ projects, shop-related news and developments, discussions about the maker world, and updates about how the Open Bench Project helps people make their projects come to life. If you have ideas to contribute or think you have a dynamite blog topic that needs coverage, email me at themattbyrne@gmail.com or get in touch with Jake.
Matt!
Glad you are doing this. Please join us Friday April 6 at the shop in SOPO. Your table is the center piece of our axe making! We clean it up and display the process of axe making during these open house meetings. Hope we can partner for future projects.
Best,
Steve