Name: MAKEatx
Location: Austin, Texas
Is there anything cooler than a laser? How about a laser that etches and cuts your own designs? I crashed an Etsy craft party at MAKEatx and was blown away by the possibilities. Come take a look at how you can use lasers to make corrugated cardboard cabinets, decorative etchings in wood and glass, acrylic jewelry, and more… all with a laser cutter!
When tech meets DIY, everyone wins. Kristen and Eve are opening all sorts of creative doors and possibilities with their MAKEatx workshop. Passionate about design, Kristen and Eve left architecture to start the shop and do what they love — create without boundaries. The workshop is a place for individuals to craft, socialize, and get inspired by the array of tools and materials it has on hand. The showstopper is undoubtedly Patty Princess of Power — an appropriate name given to a valiant laser cutter.
Patty can do just about anything — engrave wood, glass, and leather, and cut intricate designs in mediums as delicate as paper or as tough as acrylic. Kristen and Eve have even used the laser cutter to make a corrugated cardboard cabinet — close to one hundred cardboard pieces were laser-cut and then glued together for a furniture piece that has the look of striated wood.
At this Etsy craft party, people got a chance to bring in their digital designs (or create some on the spot with the workshops' computers and digital software) to bring their visions to life with their own materials or from pieces in the scrap pile — which by the way is probably the coolest scrap pile you've ever seen.
Just spending a few minutes with the laser cutter and the enthusiastic people behind it will get your imagination running to places it's never been before. Kristen and Eve made it all seem so easy and seamless that you couldn't help but crave a little more time with Patty.
MAKEatx is a sort of Hackspace, already with plans for more equipment like a CNC router — hello custom furniture. Membership is on a per-month basis (no contract, no minimum) and members receive up to 4 hours each week with the laser cutter, access to all the crafts and tools, a chance to interact with other talented people, and a gallery space to display your work.
→ Play with Lasers! See the MAKEatx website for more details on becoming a member, and also check out their blog for pictures of all the cool things being made every day.
Thanks Kristen and Eve!
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(Images: Chris Perez)
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WOW- being from Dallas, this gives me a good reason to go down to Austin and spend a week for vacation some time.... I'd LOVE to use this resource for my fine art.
very cool.
I would love to see some of this stuff in an online marketplace. Does MAKEatx showcase their artists' works on Etsy or something of that nature?
I've dreamed of access to laser cutters! And here I am in NY. . . .
There is a laser cutting studio in Boston, too. Just across the Charles in Central Square and the guys that work there are awesome. Oh and the name of the store is danger!awesome, check it out.
thank you so much to chris and apartment therapy for such a lovely article about our workshop! we do sell lots of laser cut goodies through etsy for those of you who are out of town: http://makeatx.com/shop/online-shop-2/. for those of you who are in or around or relatively near town, do stop by and say hello! love and lasers, kristen + eve + patty princess of power
That's me in the blue glasses! I had always loved my honeycomb "go outside" painting, but having the sketch laser-cut into wood finally brought the look I was wanting to my design. I can't wait to spend more time working with the laser and getting to know the crew at MakeATX, and filling my etsy shop with laser-cut goods. Thank you to etsy and MakeATX for hosting this awesome event, and for sharing your love for great design with us all.
I do all of my laser cutting here and it is AMAZING! Such an awesome resource for our city and such cool ladies running the show. Congrats, Kristen and Eve!
For those of you interested in custom laser cutting, I can help. My company has a large, industrial sized machine that can cut up to 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheets of wood. Standard patterns are available for your custom sized panel, or we can use your art. Here is a gallery of some of our work:
www.lightwavelaser.com/gallery.htm
Thanks -- Ron Macken