August was a build-and-tune month. Paul brought the woodshop's drum sander online and carved an 18"×28" oak sign on the CNC; the metal shop got organized to the studs and reclaimed its floor; a newly donated Mimaki vinyl cutter made its first cut; and the Big Boss laser got a hands-on look — motion system and lens checked, though the bad cut is still being chased down. Off the shop floor, the volunteer program got a real structure — fixed weekly shifts, a one-stop guide, and a task board you can drive from Discord — just in time for CSU Chico and Butte College coming back into session.
New to the Fab Lab? Come see it in person. Our open house runs every Wednesday, 6:00–7:00 PM — free, open to the public, no membership required. Walk in, tour the zones, meet the makers, and see what's being built. Once a month we host a guest speaker (see who's coming up below).
Want to give back? Volunteers now gather for a volunteer meeting at 5:30 PM every Wednesday, right before the open house — a standing chance to pick up tasks, coordinate the week, and log volunteer hours. New volunteers are always welcome.
Erin shared a full-body Mandalorian cosplay he printed at home for his son — including a helmet that came off the bed in one piece, no seams to glue. A single print that size needs a large-format machine, so it came off his home printer — exactly the kind of build members love to bring in and show off.
Shop upgrades cross zones: a 3D-printed dust-collection adapter now feeds the new drum sander into dust collection — a small custom part that makes the tool cleaner to run. (And Paul's CNC oak sign leads this issue as our cover build — see the top of the page.)
Online and rolling NEW
Paul got the Grizzly drum sander running and mounted on a rolling stand (thanks to Miloh for the wheels), then dialed in dust collection with a 3D-printed hose adapter. It handles boards from 8" long up to 12" wide, down to 1/8" thick — great for guitar backs.
Ongoing upkeep, too: both circular saws are being rehabbed, wood screws sorted, and the shop door closes and locks again. When a tool needs attention, unplug it, tag it, and flag a woodshop volunteer so Paul can order parts.
New drum-sander etiquette: raise the bed no more than a quarter-turn per pass, always run the dust collector, and keep stock at least 8" long. For anything under 1/8" thick, use a sled. Slow and shallow beats a bogged-down drum.
The big organizing push
Bill, Steve, and Sterling each put in a couple of hours sorting and storing the metal shop — "we have floor space again!" Scrap steel and sheet are now racked, and Jerry made a dump run to clear the shelves.
Saturday mornings with Jerry. The metal shop now runs a standing volunteer + training session on Saturday mornings — a great slot to get your hours in or get checked out on welding. Jerry recently ran Grant R. and Shawn through welding training. Wear closed-toed shoes.
Before your first welding session, watch the setup video Jerry recommends — it was filmed on the exact wire-feed (MIG) welder we own, so the loading, gas hookup, and settings you see are the ones you'll use. Come having watched it and class is just the hands-on part: "How to set up a MIG welder".
Still chasing the cut
The Big Boss still isn't cutting cleanly through leather. Erin checked the motion system and pulled and inspected the lens — a plano-convex optic, clean and seated convex-side-up — but the culprit's still hiding: it's cutting weak and we're not done with it. Mirror alignment is next. We want this one dialed in — more to report next issue.
The "big yellow" question
The donated large-format CO₂ laser is parked in the metal shop, and the question of the month was Sterling's: "We have a giant laser — what do we do now?" The plan taking shape: assess the high-voltage power supply and tube first, then the mirrors and motion system, before the deep clean. Big potential, deliberate pace.
After you swap a lens, don't assume the beam is still aligned — a fresh lens often means re-walking the mirrors. The plano-convex lens goes in convex side up, and the chiller takes distilled water only.
A newly donated Mimaki cutter NEW
The Lab has a newly donated Mimaki plotter/cutter — a completely different machine from the old units — and it's already making chips. Preston got the first cut off it with the help of a long USB extension (thanks to the member who brought one by), and ran it the Wednesday prior with Sammi, a new member. It needs a connected computer running the cutting software — a shared lab laptop is on the wishlist so it's grab-and-go.
The cutter takes its marching orders line-by-line from a connected computer — bring a laptop with the cutting software (or use the shared station) and a USB extension if you need reach. Design first, cut second.
The bay is sealed — and it's printing NEW
Preston's sealed, vented UV-printer bay is up and running. The ventilation puzzle is solved — a negative-pressure enclosure with one strong exhaust fan handles the off-gassing from the eufyMake printer — and the machine is already laying down full color: it's been printing squirrel badges on the bench. Catch the full live showcase Wednesday, Sept 16 (see below).
Start your shortlist now. Once it's live it prints full color directly onto wood, metal, glass, acrylic, leather, and canvas — no transfers — and can build raised, tactile texture up to 5 mm. Bring your first project ready to go the day it opens.
3D bench, kept running
Miloh cleared a filament jam and a repeated heat-creep clog on the Prusa (worse in the 100°+ heat) and worked with Luann to restore the AnyCubic; Luann also led a cleanup of the 3D area. On the software side, Erin set up the newly donated 3D-printer PC — installing OrcaSlicer and the Prusa Mk3 and AnyCubic Kobra 3 profiles on that shop computer so any member can slice and send prints.
Electronics, cleared out
Miloh pulled the dead floor computers out of the electronics zone, opening up real bench space to actually do electronics — a proper zone layout is next. He also made durable "machine out of order" signs with a laminator Luann donated.
Also this stretch: the trash/recycling schedule got sorted (recycling out Sunday, big bin Wednesday) · a new 6,000-CFM floor fan arrived for the heat · and the old vinyl cutters, replaced by our new donated cutter, are being sold to support the Chico Fab Lab.
The volunteer program got a real backbone this month:
• One guide, everything in one place —
chicofablab.org/volunteer-guide
• The model: pick a fixed 2-hour weekly shift + the Wednesday 5:30 PM meeting — that's your
3 hours. Choose your slot at chicofablab.org/volunteer-schedule
• Brandon C. is your volunteer coordinator — he confirms hours and keeps the task list
• Task board at tasks.chicofl.org — log in with Discord, and now add or view tasks right from Discord
with /task add and /task list
Standing sessions taking shape: Paul's woodshop hours are Tuesdays 10 AM–noon; Jerry's metal shop runs Saturday mornings; Sterling's plasma hours are Thursdays 2–4 PM (and on demand).
Big thanks to Bill, Steve, Sterling, Miloh, Paul, Luann, Brandon C., and Grant for the hours logged in August — from metal-shop organizing to laser troubleshooting to a Wednesday welding session.
Twelve zones under one roof. Most are humming — and a few are wide open for someone to step up and make them their own.
Miloh
Preston
Jerry
Sterling
Preston
Preston
Miloh
Want to lead a zone? Running a zone is one of the best ways to shape the Lab — set it up your way, teach what you love, and make it yours. The Waterjet, Mill, and Lathe need managers. Apply to lead a zone →
A big, warm welcome to everyone who joined since our last newsletter — we're glad you're here. Come find any of them at a Wednesday open house and say hi.
Print on Any Material! — The eufyMake UV Printer, Live
The eufyMake E1 prints full color straight onto skateboards, tumblers, phone cases, slate, framed art — you name it.
Wood, metal, glass, acrylic, leather, canvas — the eufyMake E1 prints full color directly onto almost any surface, and even lays down raised, tactile 3D texture you can actually feel. Preston Linderman is running a live showcase: watch it print, handle finished pieces, and learn exactly how to put it to work on your own projects. If you've ever wanted to brand your gear, personalize a gift, or make custom goods to sell — this is the night to come see what it can do.
When: Wed, Sept 16 · 6:00 PM • Where: Chico Fab Lab, 603 Orange St • Cost: Free — bring a friend.
Jeff Fennel: How D&D Saved My Life
Around 25 people turned out for Jeff's roughly hour-long talk — a personal, funny, surprisingly moving hour on how tabletop role-playing gave him community and a creative outlet when he needed it most. Thanks, Jeff, for a great night.
Got a story, a skill, or a project worth sharing? We're booking presenters for future open houses — pitch a talk →.
- Sat Sep 5 · 4–7 PM"Across the Transverse" — art show + party in the CFL gallery & outdoor stage.
- OctoberCCR Pirate Ship Build — community pirate-ship art build in the works.
- Thu Nov 20 · 5:30–8:30 PMCFL Show (Chico Arts Commission Grant).
- December603 Orange Street Winter Market.
- Every Wed · 5:30 PMMeetup + volunteer meeting — attendance counts toward volunteer hours.
School's back: CSU Chico and Butte College are in session, and the Wednesday pizza-and-open-house combo is a great first taste of the lab. If you're a student — or know one in engineering, comp-sci, art (including sculpture and ceramics), CAGD, or welding — the Pro membership opens every zone in the building, and volunteer memberships trade a few hours a week for the run of the place. Tours every Wednesday.
Get Involved
Stop by a Wednesday open house, share a project in #show-and-tell, and check the Task Board for ways to pitch in. Not a member yet? Come to an open house — tours, demos, and friendly makers happy to show you around.