Come and Make It

If you’ve ever wanted to learn laser cutting, ceramics, metalworking, glassblowing, screenprinting, woodworking, 3D printing, electronics, sewing and more, 10BitWorks Makerspace is the place for you.

For $75 a month, you’ll have the space and tools to work and folks who will help you from idea to implementation. Their slogan is “Come and Make It!”

Build your own dragon

During my visit, Don Smeller, a volunteer for this non-profit organization who’s knowledgeable about most of the equipment, was helping Mitch, a computer engineer, fine-tune a 3D container he’d laser printed to house jewelry tools.

I told them I’d recently bought desktop dragons while on vacation, and Don promptly downloaded files from Thingiverse so that I could make my own laser-printed dragons in the future. The monofilament line used in 3D printing is inexpensive, so I could make 20 dragons for the price I paid for one.

Turning dreams into reality

Don, a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) expert who’s now retired, said that when he was in seventh grade during the ’50s, a group of men came to his school to inspire boys to enter the engineering field. Sputnik had them spooked, and they were afraid the United States was falling behind. Don took the bait, and he’s never looked back. He now encourages more than just males to enter the field.

Mitch, the computer engineer, said that 10BitWorks Makerspace gives him the ability to turn his dreams into reality. Plus, he’s able to learn from other innovators who share the space.

Expertise sought

I was blown away by the variety of equipment available for use in their warehouse. Don said that they’ve accepted donations from folks who no longer use the items. They also welcome those with expertise in one or more fields to share their knowledge with those who’d like to learn.

10BitWorks, located at 130 W. LaChappelle just off of South Flores, has open visiting hours from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Their phone number is (210) 547-0221. Drop by to check out the space and start planning your creations.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June 2010. Follow facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!