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<big><big>'''rLAB – Reading’s Hackspace / Makerspace
<blockquote>For makers, menders, re-purposers, creators, sharers and teachers. Come join our group workshop with amazing equipment and members to match.</blockquote>'''</big></big>
▲[[File:Mainbuilding.JPG|thumb|400px|The rLab Hackspace]]
== About rLab ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;width: 75%;"
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* '''A way to learn and teach new skills''' - Our members provide [[Induction|inductions]] and other training on most of our equipment, as well as [[workshops]] to demonstrate and teach new skills
* '''A place to work collaboratively on [[projects]] with friends''' - We provide a venue for groups of members to meet up and work on projects that would otherwise be hard to arrange.
* '''A way to get access to equipment that individuals normally can't''' - Because of our location in an industrial area and our wide membership we're often able to provide tools an equipment that can't be used in a domestic setting or which are too expensive for one person to buy.
* '''A pay-as-you-go workshop''' - Although we're very flexible on membership contributions and require no long term commitments, we do expect that being an rLab member is an ongoing process of contributing to the lab. Contributing only when you want to make use of the lab's facilities is discouraged.
* '''A laser cutting/CNC machining/etc service''' - We do not provide commercial services to the public
* '''A charity''' - Although we very much welcome [[Donations|donations and assistance]], we are not a registered charity and are structured more like a social club.
* '''A storage area''' - We have a small amount of space to [[Policy/store|store ongoing member projects]] and we're happy to have tools that are being regularly used, however we are very space limited and do not provide long-term storage.
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* '''A tool hire centre''' - Our tools are kept at the hackspace and are not loaned out to members.
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08l581p '''The Repair Shop'''] - Fixing things and avoiding waste is very much a part of our ethos, but we do not provide a repair service to the public outside of [[Events/repaircafe|repair cafe events]]. People wanting to repair stuff are very welcome to become members and get full access to all our facilities. If you join up, we'll help '''you''' fix it, but we won't fix it for you.
* '''A youth training or childcare center''' - Members are welcome to [[Policy/visitorsandchildren|bring one child or guest]] with them, but only legal adults over 18 years old can be members or take part in most activities at rLab. This is for insurance, data protection, and safeguarding reasons.
* '''A campsite''' - Members are welcome to take a kip in their car if it is necessary for health and safety, but pitching up your tent or motor home, and use of the space exclusively for habitation is strictly prohibited.
|}
=== History ===
The Hackspace started as two guys sitting in a shed in 2010, Tom and Ryan had seen other hackspaces in London and other countries and were keen to start their own. They found some like-minded people, and initially the group met in a range of temporary venues, such as the Rising Sun arts centre, before taking a couple of rooms at a storage company in Woodley, ultimately that did not work out, and in 2015 the group took the bold step of moving here to Weldale Street. The building is owned by one of members – Tom – who is not just understanding about our needs, but positively incites us to ‘hack the space’. We do not receive any regular grants, we are not a charity, and therefore we are masters of our own destiny – we can do what we want
=== Management ===▼
We are light on governance and have a level structure. There are no committees, no officers, and fundamentally no member is any more important than any other. Four of our members are directors of a limited company - [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07628386 Reading Makerspace Ltd] [[Media:Reading Maker Space Limited M&A.pdf|Articles of Association]] - that has been set up solely to provide us with sufficient legal identity to pay the rates, energy bills (which you can imagine are quite large), and buy things such as insurance. Our current directors are Tony, Vance, Steve and Mark. Members often describe our governance arrangements as a ‘do-ocracy’ – things get done by people on the basis of consensus, those who put in the effort to get things done tend to form small groups and agree how they should be done.▼
=== How to find us ===
{{#display_map:51° 27' 27.504",-0° 58' 47.82"|zoom=18|height=400|width=700}}
We're located at Unit C1 on the Weldale Street industrial estate, the full address is
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* In Person - rLab is based at an industrial unit on Weldale Street in Reading, the full address is [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/rLab+-+Reading's+Hackspace/@51.457786,-0.9797709,18.75z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x48769b1065625da5:0xe1fad72d3d397c71!2sReading+RG1+7BX!3b1!8m2!3d51.4577547!4d-0.979558!3m4!1s0x48769b106d5205b5:0xfdaee590aa6d6754!8m2!3d51.4576838!4d-0.9799752 rLab – Unit C1], Weldale Street, READING, RG1 7BX, and you're very welcome to come along on a Wednesday open evening and speak to us
*eMail - The rLab directors can be emailed at [mailto:hello@rlab.org.uk Hello@rlab.org.uk] and our main [
*Twitter - Our Twitter feed is [https://twitter.com/rdghack here]
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*Facebook - We can be reached on Facebook [https://en-gb.facebook.com/readinghackspace/ here]
=== How to
Come along on a Wednesday open evening! We have open evenings every Wednesday from 7pm until 10:00pm so please feel free to come on down to the Hackspace and have a look around, we have tours running frequently throughout the evening, and whether you want to sign up or not you'll always be welcome to come see our facilities and discuss your interests with our members, tea and coffee are usually available. If you do want to sign up on the night then the last sign-up tour normally starts around 9pm, just make your intent known to any of members and they'll put you in touch with the right person. You can chat with some of the current members, see what we're working on, and take a look at the facilities we have available. We'll normally have at least 2 or 3 of our more experienced members around who can show you how our facilities and knowledge can help with your projects. If you feel you might like to sign up then please remember to bring photo-ID with you as it's required to complete the sign-up process.
rLab survives almost entirely on the donations of people who share our ideals and goals, mostly this comes in the form of the regular monthly contributions from members so the most helpful thing you can do for rLab is to join up! From time to time we also get donations, of cash, equipment, materials etc. from rLab members, the public, businesses and organizations that support our activities. Our [[donations]] page will list items that we've recently received and anything that we're currently on the lookout for. ▼
If you're not able to make it to Wednesday evenings then you can [https://www.cognitoforms.com/ReadingMakerspaceLimited/RLABReadingMakerspaceTourAndSignup fill in the form] on our website and we'll try to get back to you to arrange another time, but be aware there might be a substantial wait-time involved with that. Alternatively you can join our [[mailing list]] and ask there and we can normally arrange a sign up or even just a tour within a few days.
If you do join rLab then the most helpful thing you can do is just to be there, to help out keeping the space clean and running smoothly, and to share your knowledge and experience. Members can also share information on [[projects]] they're working on to help inspire others, as well as running or taking part in [[workshops]] to help spread the skills we have so that we can all work together to make cool stuff. The projects page will also list internal projects that we're currently working on and which might be seeking help, anything from trained professionals to simple grunt-work moving and lifting, anything that you're able to do to move these projects forward will be much appreciated around the lab. If you have special skills or knowledge in a specific area that you think others will want to know then you could write a [[technique guides|technique guide]] that we'll keep here on the wiki to help and inspire others to take on more creative and interesting projects. rLab runs [[Events|events]] sometimes, most common of these are the repair cafe events that we host every 2 months but there's also a selection of others. Most events are only open to members but the repair cafe and selected others might be open to the public so long as numbers aren't too high. If you've got something to showcase that you feel might make a good event then please let us know as exciting and interesting events are an excellent way of encouraging participation, previous events have covered topics as wide-ranging as CAD and lock-picking.▼
If you decide to join up then you'll be able to get your [[Hackspaceinduction|Hackspace induction]], get signed up on our membership database,
=== How to sign up ===▼
▲If you decide to join up then you'll be able to get your [[Hackspaceinduction|Hackspace induction]], get signed up on our membership database, sort out your membership donation (the normal donation is £25/month, but there are exceptions) and be issued with a access card for the building. You may also want to sign up to our [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/reading-hackspace mailing list], it's not compulsory but you'll miss out on a lot of what goes on at the space if you don't. If you feel you have something to contribute to this [[About this wiki|wiki]] then please ask Steve, Rupert or Tony for a log-in so you can [[Editing the Wiki|edit]]!
=== Information for new members ===
▲==== Management ====
▲We are light on governance and have a level structure. There are no committees, no officers, and fundamentally no member is any more important than any other. Four of our members are directors of a limited company - [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07628386 Reading Makerspace Ltd] [[Media:Reading Maker Space Limited M&A.pdf|Articles of Association]] - that has been set up solely to provide us with sufficient legal identity to pay the rates, energy bills (which you can imagine are quite large), and buy things such as insurance. Our current directors are
==== Getting your Hackspace Induction ====
Before you can use the Hackspace un-accompanied and have your own access card you'll need to receive your [[hackspaceinduction|Hackspace induction]] which provides important information about how the hackspace is organised and run and how to work safely in the space. These inductions are normally run on a Wednesday open evening as part of the sign-up process and generally take around an hour to do. We require this because there's a few things you need to know in order to work safely and smoothly around the lab that aren't instantly obvious. Photo-ID, usually driving license but any official ID with a picture is OK, is required to sign up
▲rLab survives almost entirely on the donations of people who share our ideals and goals, mostly this comes in the form of the regular monthly contributions from members so the most helpful thing you can do for rLab is to join up! From time to time we also get donations, of cash, equipment, materials etc. from rLab members, the public, businesses and organizations that support our activities. Our [[donations]] page will list items that we've recently received and anything that we're currently on the lookout for.
▲If you do join rLab then the most helpful thing you can do is just to be there, to help out keeping the space clean and running smoothly, and to share your knowledge and experience. Members can also share information on [[projects]] they're working on to help inspire others, as well as running or taking part in [[workshops]] to help spread the skills we have so that we can all work together to make cool stuff. The projects page will also list internal projects that we're currently working on and which might be seeking help, anything from trained professionals to simple grunt-work moving and lifting, anything that you're able to do to move these projects forward will be much appreciated around the lab. If you have special skills or knowledge in a specific area that you think others will want to know then you could write a [[technique guides|technique guide]] that we'll keep here on the wiki to help and inspire others to take on more creative and interesting projects. rLab runs [[Events|events]] sometimes, most common of these are the repair cafe events that we host every 2 months but there's also a selection of others. Most events are only open to members but the repair cafe and selected others might be open to the public so long as numbers aren't too high. If you've got something to showcase that you feel might make a good event then please let us know as exciting and interesting events are an excellent way of encouraging participation, previous events have covered topics as wide-ranging as CAD and lock-picking.
==== rLab Rules ====
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* [[policy/store|Keeping stuff at the space]]
* [[policy/commercial|Commercial use of the space]]
* [[policy/parkinghabitation|Parking and habitation]]
* [[policy/safeguarding|Safeguarding]]
* [[policy/visitorsandchildren|Bringing Visitors and Children into the space]]
* [[policy/GDPR|Data (GDPR) Statement]]
* [[policy/Money|Information on making payments to/from rLab]]
* [[policy/FrameworkDocument|Framework document - defines relationship between the hackspace and RMS Ltd.]]
* [[policy/Directors|Directors' responsibilities and what to do if you want to become one]]
* [[policy/Spending|Spending approval limits and process]]
== Our resources ==
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File:Large workshop 01.jpg|Upstairs main room and electronics workshop
File:Electronics bench 02.jpg|Our electronics benches
File:Large workshop 02.jpg|Main workshop with whiteboard, PCs and
File:Mainbuilding.JPG|Exterior of the Weldale St. Building
File:Breakout area.jpg|Kitchen and Crafts area and break room
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| [[tools/projector|Projector and Screen]] || [[tools/workstations|Design Stations 1&2]] || [[Tools/silhouettecameo4|Silhouette Cameo 4 Vinyl Cutter]]
|-
| [[tools/largesewingmachine|Large Sewing Machine]] || [[tools/miniairbrush|Miniature Airbrush]] ||
|}
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| [[tools/forge|Propane Forge]] || [[tools/router|Hand-held Router]] || [[Tools/InductionHeater|Hand-Held Induction Heater]]
|-
| [[tools/aircleaner|
|-
| [[tools/largelinisher|Clarke CS6-9C 6" Belt Linisher]] || [[tools/smalllinisher|Chester MM493A 1" Belt Linisher]] || [[tools/routertable|Router Table]]
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| [[tools/hv128|HV-128 Horizontal Bandsaw]] || [[tools/wg250|Record WG-250 Water stone]] || [[tools/polishingwheel|8" Polishing/Buffing Wheel]]
|-
| [[tools/inspectionmicroscope|Tool inspection microscope]] || [[tools/25kW Induction Forge|25kW Induction Forge]] ||
|}
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<gallery mode="packed">
File:newlogo.png|The new rLab Logo in bitmap format
File:
File:oldlogo.svg|Old rLab logo, please use the new one instead where possible
File:minilogo.svg|Small rLab logo for use where space is at a premium
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==== Software that we use ====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;width: 75%;"
|-
! For 3D design and CAD/CAM work !! For 3D Printing !! For 2D
|-
|
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||
* [https://inkscape.org/en/ Inkscape]
* [https://lightburnsoftware.com/ Lightburn]
* [https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/software/ss/about Silhouette Studio]
||
* [https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/ Davinci Resolve]
||
* [https://www.kicad.org/ Kicad]
* [https://code.visualstudio.com/ VSCode]
* [https://www.arduino.cc/en/software Arduino IDE]
|}
==== Mailing list and Wiki and other online accounts====
Most of the discussion between rLab members that isn't in-person takes place on our discord server, you will get an invite to this as part of joining. We also have a [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/reading-hackspace google groups] mailing list that is open to members and non-members.
Most of the discussion between rLab members that isn't in-person takes place on our [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/reading-hackspace google group], you don't have to have to join the group when you join rLab, and indeed quite a few of our members either only read the mailing list occasionally or not at all. If you're not on the group though you may find it quite hard to get your voice heard when we're discussing things important to rLab like the direction that the group takes or how we spend money. If you'd like to join the mailing list without having a google account then the instructions [https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/15393/how-to-subscribe-by-email-to-a-google-groups-mailing-list-with-daily-digest-opti here] should help you.▼
▲
If you'd like to join the mailing list without having a google account then you can just send a [mailto:reading-hackspace+subscribe@googlegroups.com message to subscribe] or follow the instructions [https://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/15393/how-to-subscribe-by-email-to-a-google-groups-mailing-list-with-daily-digest-opti here] should help you.
We can also be reached via our [https://en-gb.facebook.com/readinghackspace/ facebook] and [https://twitter.com/rdghack twitter] pages and you can keep up with what's been done at the lab recently via our [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBgxPv4q0E6zrwb6Wo1OKuA YouTube] channel.
We also have this [[About this wiki|wiki]] of course! If you'd like [[Editing the Wiki|an account]] on this wiki then
To find out who to contact if you have queries about digital services, check the [[contactlist|contact list]] for online assets
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Other organisations that are related to hacking/making/crafting - The appearance of an organisation here DOES NOT MEAN that rLab endorses that organisation
* [https://www.facebook.com/ReadingRepairCafe Reading Repair Cafe] [[Events/repaircafe|Events]]
* [http://rva.org.uk/ Reading Volunteer Association]
* [https://www.remap.org.uk/ ReMap] Volunteer Group focused on tailored assistance devices for those with disabilities.
* [https://menssheds.org.uk/ Men's Sheds] are setting up in [https://thesilversworkshop.org.uk Reading]
* [https://www.wea.org.uk/ The Workers' Educational Association (WEA)] is a charity and the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of adult education, delivering 9,500 part-time courses for over 74,000 people each year in England and Scotland.
* [https://www.readingbicyclekitchen.org/ Reading Bike Kitchen] is a group that repairs and
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