Facilities

Overview

The Knox Makers workshop (commonly referred to as the space) provides access to a variety of tools and facilities. These tools cater to a wide array of needs and interests of our community members. The tools were acquired by Knox Makers over the last few years and are either owned by, loaned to, or donated to the space. We continue to add more tools to our arsenal as we grow.

Knox Makers workshop is physically divided into many specialized areas (zones) to keep the space safe, clean, and organized. The board of directors may appoint a Czar (or Czarina) for each area to advocate for the interest and needs of the respective area.

Duties of the Facilities Director

• Develop and maintain a safety program and ensure compliance with safety policies, which includes:
  • Identify equipment that requires training prior to use,
  • Generate appropriate training information for the identified equipment,
  • Track which members have received the appropriate training for use of equipment.
• Ensure compliance with member use policies (cleanliness, security, use of shared tools, etc)
• Generally oversee day-to-day operations of the space to ensure equipment and the space are in good repair and working order
• Ensure a designated Point of Contact for emergencies.
• Document the procedures of the office for future officers.

Organized Space

The 5S organization methodology is used to organize the space for efficiency and effectiveness. The relevant action items from this methodology are briefly described here:

Sort

To remove physical obstacles and prevent accumulation of unnecessary items

• Keep what is needed
• Eliminate what is not needed
• Tag items to discard
  • Attach tag
  • Move to holding area
  • Determine time to hold
  • Move to facility holding area or discard

Set in order (Stabilize)

A place for everything and everything in its place (make everything easy to find, use and return)

• Zones & Outlines (footprints)
• Color coded and/pr labeled tools
• Labeled tool-boxes, peg boards, shelves
• Zone in-charge: Czar/Czarina

Shine

Keep everything, everyday, swept and clean

• Make cleaning everyday work
• Czar/Czarina in-charge: Rotate cleaning responsibilities within their respective zone

Standardize

• Rules to sort, organize, and maintain clean workspace
• On-boarding of newly purchased, loaned, donated tools

-*Elimination of unused and old tools and material

Sustain

• Instill discipline necessary to avoid backsliding
• Proper training and communication of existing standards/procedures
• Inform all new members
• Make it a habit

Tools & Equipment Use

Please refer to Membership Rules for general tools and equipment use policies

Workshop Safety

1. Your safety is your responsibility
2. Proper safety precautions should always be exercised
3. If safety is in question, stop until any safety concerns can be addressed
4. Certain tools require certification and training for use. These tools are identified by a "Training Required" label.

Projects and Storage

Please refer to the Project and Storage section of the Membership Rules