Brand New Class! Magnetic Bottle Openers Woodworking

Brand New Class! Magnetic Bottle Openers Woodworking with our Shop Safety & Tools 101 instructor Ian Saunders. The first classes are 7/14 and 8/6.

Learn how to make a custom magnetic bottle opener from a medley of assorted hardwoods. Hang it on your refrigerator or wall. Amaze your friends as the bottle caps catch on the hidden magnet!

This woodworking class is perfect for the beginner or experienced student wanting to learn the techniques and tools needed in order to make a custom bottle opener. This workshop will also teach you how to operate all the necessary machinery such as a band saw, chop saw, router, drill press, and planer. We will cover the process of gluing and clamping your pieces to create custom blanks, drilling in a magnet, routing the edges, sanding the piece, and finally applying an oil.

Have fun, learn a new skill (or 3!). Meets new friends and take home a finished product. Care instructions, woodshop safety tutorials, DTL enthusiasm and encouragement are provided. Best of all - a bottled refreshment will be provided at the end of class, opened by your new bottle opener!

First Friday Party!!!!! 6/2/23

We’re late on our seasonal First Friday Art Walk Parties, so we’re going to make it up with this one. Come join us on 6/2/23 from 6pm-9pm to celebrate all that is tool sharing with new friends, @renegadebrewing libations, and karaoke. Whether you’re a DTL veteran who’s dug through our mountains of broken tools and has “seen some shit”, or you’ve been wondering “what’s this place about that’s always posting all the dumb tool memes?”, this First Friday is a great time to swing by.

We're Hiring! Part-time Tool Librarian

We're Hiring! Part-time Tool Librarian

Ever wanted to sling tools, chat with people about their projects, and get paid for it? The Denver Tool Library is looking for an organized, helpful, and friendly person to be a part time tool librarian! This person must be available to work during our open hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays (2-7pm) and Saturdays and Sundays (10am-3pm) as needed. We can guarantee about one shift per week for now, with potential for more frequent shifts in the future.

Head on over to denvertoollibrary.org/jobs to learn more and apply!

Brand New Class! Intro to Woodworking: Practical Joinery

After much request, we made a brand news class! Intro to Woodworking: Practical Joinery. The first class will be Monday, June 26th

Join Scott Roth, the Tool Library’s Inventory Tool Coordinator and guy who “After sixty plus years of working with wood has the distinction of still having all his fingers” as he teaches you the time-honored foundational techniques of woodworking.

*This class isn’t required in order to use Open Shop Hours or take any of our Woodworking Project Classes, however it is highly encouraged!

Intro to Woodworking covers essential skills, basic tools, and foundational techniques that are used in a wide range of carpentry projects. We strive to make this class fun, friendly, and an ideal starting place for anyone beginning or continuing their woodcraft journey.

Get comfortable with wood materials, properties, nomenclature, and how to use them. Know the questions to ask when purchasing/selecting wood materials and products. Hands on applications and use of of nails, screws, bolts, pocket screws along with glues to make and assemble sturdy joints: dado joints, butt joints, lap joints, and miter joints. These will utilize hand tools like clamps, power saws, drivers and drills, brad and finish nailers, hammers, and routers that are readily available to borrow from the Denver Tool Library. You will take home finished examples of wood joinery to compliment the knowledge you will gain and aid you in your woodworking journey.

What Class Do You Wish We Offered?

We are in the process of developing some brand new classes and are on the hunt for more. We want to hear from you! We have only one easy question…

Tiered Leaning Plant Shelves w/ Sineah is Back!

Tiered Leaning Plant Shelves w/ Sineah is back after a year long break! Her first class will be on Saturday, June 17 from 4pm - 8pm.

Build a ladder shelf like you would find in west elm at a fraction of the cost. Get a basic understanding of tools in the woodshop like the table saw, chop saw and more. Learn pocket hole joinery and other techniques for hiding your screws.

These shelves are great for above a toilet, leaning on a wall near a window to be adorned with plants or even outside if waterproofed later. If you have a specific use in mind please bring detailed description so your teacher can help you design your next build, if we are otherwise unable to customize this build to suit your needs. These projects are designed with the DIYer in mind. You will leave class with a better understanding of tool safety and build techniques to inspire your next project.

You will build a 3 tiered shelf between 5-6 feet tall and between 15-20 inches wide. These shelves may be spaced according to your needs. For example, over a toilet you may want 3 high shelves or on an interior wall you may want to space them evenly based on your plants/ decor height. See you in the workshop!

Come On - Get the Neighbors (or Whoever) a Gift Membership

Listen, we know. You're already a member of the Denver Tool Library. You've already got all the tools you could ever need to make your home and garden immaculate. People walk by your place in awe. Your reclaimed pergola concept is unique and in perfect condition. Your sunflowers are the tallest, your cherry tomatoes are the juiciest, and your lawn is so full and soft that you often catch the neighbors asleep in it. People do a double take when they see the size of your deck.

So, what is there left in life? How else can you continue to be the best person ever? We say it’s time you bestow others with the power that comes with a Denver Tool Library membership. You ARE the Joneses, and it’s time you give back to your poor neighbors (or anyone else who aspires to be you).

Give them a Gift Individual Membership or a Gift Household Membership. If you’re feeling benevolent but a little on the cheap frugal side, we won’t judge you if you want to give them a Gift One Time Checkout Membership (they’re only $40!).

Go forth and do even more good for this world you perfect Denver Tool Library members. Buy that certain someone a Tool Library Gift Membership so they can keep up with their spring projects and maybe one day be as perfect as you!

We're Looking for Outreach Volunteers to Table at Fairs

Do you like street fairs? Are you the social type that likes to (politely) shout at people from behind a white foldy table? Do you want to spread the gospel of collective tool sharing? We have just the volunteer opportunity for you!

We're looking for volunteers who want to table with us at street fairs while the weather is nice. Some requirements are….

• You need to be able to answer lots of questions from folks at the fairs, so long time members or volunteers are super preferred.

• You need to think (*know) sharing tools is super awesome and feel comfortable chatting passerbys up about how great we are.

• You need to be able to volunteer on the weekends.

If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love for you to send us a message. THANKS!

*Our first fair is as soon as May 12-13 at DUG's Spring Plant Sale, so reach out soon!

Spring is Here. We've Got Tools.

Spring is here. It's time to make that spring project list!

Perhaps you're the meticulous type, setting your Google calendar to remind you when to mow those perfect golf course grids, when to trim your perennials whom each you have given a name, and when to edge that lawn to keep it distinct and sharp. Or maybe you're the more carefree type who lets your home run its natural course, but you need a weed whacker from time to time so you don’t get evicted (BTW- just in case that letter came in the mail weeks ago, you can come straight to the shop rn and get your membership and weed whacker at the same time).

No matter where you fall on the spectrum of spring project planning - we’ve got tools ready for your spring time projects so you can get that sweet satisfaction of crossing another thing off the list! Get your Tool Library Membership soon so you can tackle a good chunk before that summer heat is here.

Happy Birthday DTL!

4/4/23 was our 8th birthday!!! Time sure does fly because there's still remnants of balloons taped to the wall since our last birthday. Check out this photo of before the workshop when we operated out of the back, and check out our sign we made out of an old billboard where we forgot the "I" in "Library." As always - thanks so much for your support, and to many more years of sharing tools!!