What to Expect from DoES

Hello, and welcome to DoES! We're happy to see you, and we're glad you're joining us!

DoES is quite special, and it can be a little tricky for people to understand what we're all about, so this document will hopefully shed some light on who we are and what we do. If you have any questions, don't just struggle - get on the Google group and get some answers. If that feels a little intimidating, you can email [email protected] instead.

What to expect from DoES

It's very common for people to misunderstand what they can expect from DoES. Most often, people think we'll make things for them, or run workshops to teach them how to make things for themselves.

DoES is not a company that actually does things - we provide the space, equipment, and community to empower people to do the things they want to. If you're looking to have something made for you, then you can post on the Google Group asking if someone can quote you. If you want to make something yourself then you can get inductions for the relevant machines (required for the laser cutters, CNC mills, industrial sewing machine and embroidery machine) or, if you feel confident that you know what you're doing, then just get stuck in (other equipment). If you aren't sure how to use any of the equipment in the space then ask! There are plenty of friendly helpful people around who can point you in the right direction - especially on Maker Night (every Thursday from 7pm - 9pm) or Maker Day (second Saturday of each month from midday to 6pm). Just bear in mind that people might sometimes be busy with their own work.

Basically, the idea is that DoES is a place for people to make things - rather than a place to have things made (although the DoES community is full of people who can and will make things for you, if that's what you're looking for, and it is absolutely encouraged to use DoES to run workshops if you're so inclined - many do!).

It can be really intimidating to start making things in a way that's new to you, but the DoES ethos is such that you should feel free to make all the mistakes you need to - making is iterative, and everyone who's really accomplished with any of our equipment has made many, many mistakes to get there. So don't worry! Nobody will mock you for getting it wrong the first time, or the thousandth.

You can expect a friendly community, free tea and coffee, no bigotry, and a Google group that's open to helping. We also have a wiki where we try to document as many processes as possible, to make the equipment as accessible as we can, and there's usually someone around - at least during the day - who can help if you get stuck. If you experience any issues - even if you resolve them right away - we encourage everyone to contribute to our somebody-should github repository. It means we can look up previous solutions if problems recur. To find out how to contribute, have a look at this guide.

What DoES expects from you

As a member of our community - whether you attend our free events only, or have a membership of some sort - we do have some expectations.

We obviously expect people not to display any bigoted behaviour within DoES - everyone should feel safe and welcome regardless of race, nationality, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or disability status. We have a complaints panel and we welcome input if you feel someone has not adhered to this expectation. Making, and DoES, are for everyone.

We have two employees - our fantastic cleaner, Irene, and our administrative overlord Seán, who both work for us part-time.

We expect people to leave the space as they would wish to find it. If you spill something, clean it up. Be aware that any given surface could have materials on them after you leave it; nobody needs crumbs, jam, grease or other edible and inedible substances on their project.

Tidy up after yourself - put things back where you found them, keep your materials in your assigned box, and try to keep the walkways clear for everyone, but especially for people with mobility issues.

We have a dishwasher - the cutlery goes in the grey drawer at the very top, which you may have to look for specifically if you haven't used the machine before. When you find it full of clean dishes, it's generally considered good practice to empty it (the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen are labelled) and when you've dirtied a dish it's standard practice to place it in the dishwasher when you're done with it. While we have a cleaner, she does not do our tidying for us, and we don't leave messes for her either.

If the bin is full, please empty it [I don't know where because I physically can't so need someone to fill this bit in] and if the toilets are low on toilet paper it's appreciated if you grab some from the top of the cupboard outside the more accessible loo, to replenish for the next person.

Basically, we're running a shared space - we share the benefits so we also share the responsibilities.

If that all sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, then we'd really love to meet you and welcome you in! Our price list is [here] and our free events can be found [here].

If you feel intimidated by the idea of just turning up, please post on the google group or email [email protected] and we'll make sure you've got someone to meet who can give you a tour of the space and start you off on becoming a part of the DoES community :)