How Many Nuts in this Jar?

Correctly guess how many nuts are in this jar to win A BRAND NEW CAR! Ok, you won’t win a new car, but you will win $25 in DTL gift bucks! You can use your gift bucks on anything we have to offer- Use them towards a class, open shop hours, a membership, or buy yourself some cool Tool Library merch!

This is Price is Right rules- if your guess is over, you’re out! Closest guess that is less than or equal to the correct number wins. There will only be one winner! First person to guess closest wins. Comment your guess below or stop by the shop to submit your guess in person. Winner will be announced in a few weeks!

Tool Library Makeover - Thanks Denver!

We’re stoked to announce that Certifiably Green Denver is buying us a whole bunch of new shelving to hold all of our tools! It will be bitter sweet getting rid of the old teal dumpstered 2x4s and particle board shelving that we have now (10% bitter, 90% sweet), but with this new shelving we’ll be able to store a whole lot more tools for you to take home.

We are just at the beginning stages of installation, but soon when you walk in to the shop confused as to why things are suddenly looking so nice, make sure to send a kindly worded love DM to @denvercasr, Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency, as well as @therealcityofdenver!

Certifiably Green Denver's Equity Funding helps women and minority-owned small businesses fund their sustainability projects. In 2022, we distributed over $300,000 in up-front grants to 37 businesses.

Thank You CGD!!!

Will You Be Mine?

These oughta come in handy: Digital Valentine’s Day cards to help you spread the tool sharing love! Send one to your sweetie, secret crush, business partner, or favorite handy person. Throw in some DTL Class Bucks, Open Workshop Hours, or even an annual Tool Library Membership to really sweeten them up!

Happy soon Valentine’s Day from all of us at the Denver Tool Library you cuties!!

Brand New Class! Permaculture I: Fundamentals & Design

We’re excited to announce we finally have a permaculture class, and it will be taught by Alex Nees! The first class will be Friday, March 8th 5:30pm - 8pm and a second date is already schedule for Monday, March 25th 5:30pm - 8pm.

Permaculture is a design system for yards and gardens that mimics and celebrates nature’s patterns and processes. In this introductory class, we will cover the fundamentals of permaculture, go over how it minimizes resources to benefit you and your environment, and draw up a practical custom plan for your specific yard, plot, or garden!

This workshop will begin by exploring the history of permaculture in the West, as well as how it has been used by cultures across the world. You will learn it’s techniques and principles, including how permaculture can help you create whole-system organic solutions that minimize waste and non-renewable resources, and how you can turn your landscape into a productive and low-maintenance oasis. We will explore basic design principles and simple concepts to save you time, money, and valuable resources in your home. Once we have obtained knowledge of the basics, we will work together to create maps and designs for you to take back to your landscape and begin bringing your regenerative system to life! Students will have the opportunity to ask general questions as well as specific questions regarding their plot.

By the end of this class you will take home the skills of hands-on building, designs for a number of basic DIY fixes for you to take home, and one of the most important aspects of permaculture: community building and social capital. Come join us and let’s work together to return to our role as reciprocal members of this beautiful ecosystem!

About your Teacher Alex Nees:

Hi there! I grew up on a 250-acre cattle ranch that my family managed in western Colorado, where I developed a deep connection with land, animals, and gardening. I have worked as an urban gardener, rooftop farmer, and hydroponic farmer in cities like New York City and Denver, CO, and studied Permaculture Design and Sustainable Food and Farming at UMASS-Amherst. Through these experiences, I have developed a deep sense of purpose in utilizing these Permaculture practices to encourage sustainable systems across the world, that not only prevent but reverse the effects of the climate crisis we are in now. I feel called to share these practices as resources to as many as I can, to open our hearts and bring us closer to one another.. finding a sense of belonging in this beautiful and miraculous ecosystem we are a part of!

Tools Aren't Scary, Unless...

We're not trying to scare you @aprilfrankenstein, we just want to remind our members that we highly recommend them taking our Power Tools 101 Class so they can stay safe while using our tools at home!

Power Tools 101 Home Renovation Class w/ Ian Saunders. Next date is Tuesday, March 12th at 5:30pm

*This class is not mandatory but very highly recommended if you are a member of the Denver Tool Library

Learn how to safely and effectively use Denver Tool Library’s most common power tools. Understand best practices and best uses for circular saws, jig saws, miter saws, reciprocating saws, angle grinders, multi-tools, compressors, different types of nailers, different types of routers, different types of drills, and different types of sanders. This class is a mix of hands-on practice and lecture. There will be some time for Q&A at the end. All skill levels are welcome.

Class Spotlight! Mosaic Pendants (w/ Video!)

Class Spotlight! Mosaic Pendants (now with keychains!!) w/ @jessierodriguez.art. Next Class: Sunday February 25th, 4pm.

In this mixed media micro mosaics class, we will design and make a unique pendant that can be turned into jewelry or a key chain. We will work with a variety of source materials to include; glass, beads, buttons and more! Students will select a pendant base and learn how to cut glass using wheeled-tile nippers and glass cutters.

We will discuss the best materials for use and where to source objects that can be used for small scale mosaics. Students will mix and use epoxy-sculpt and inlay materials to create their piece. Everyone will leave with a completed pendant necklace, with choices of chain or cord fitting to make it ready to wear or, attach it to a keychain base.

If desired, students can bring a small charm or object they wish to inlay.

Midmod Candlesticks Woodturning is Back!

Midmod Candlesticks Woodturning w/ Chris Hoehle is back after a long hiatus! The next class will be Saturday, February 24th, 4pm - 7:30pm.

Midmod Candlesticks Woodturning is geared toward those of you who want to get a taste of woodturning, but may not have the time or budget to take a full day class. Not only will you learn some foundational woodturning skills, but you’ll be able to take home a beautiful candlestick base that you made to keep or give as a gift! Here are the details:

Working with the wood lathe is simultaneously exciting and meditative, and this class is perfect for you if you’ve been wanting to try it out without committing to the full day Intro class. Or, if you’ve already taken Intro and just want to take this class for more practice and a cool project, that’s all good too!

You’ll learn the basics of shaping a spinning block of wood on the lathe using just one tool- the spindle roughing gouge, and then you’ll use your new skills to craft an elegant midmod inspired candlestick with a brass accent. You'll also learn about the fundamentals of wood selection and working with the grain, sanding and finishing, and much more.

About the Teacher

This class is taught by Chris Hoehle, one of our community workshop monitors and a professional woodturner with over fifteen years of experience on the wood lathe. In addition to teaching woodturning for nearly three years here at the Denver Tool Library, he has also taught week-long workshops at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg Tennessee, and he sells his work at local galleries and art festivals. You can check out his work on his website, studiocsh.com, or on Instagram @studiocsh.

Meet Dave, Your Home Renovation Instructor

This is Dave. Dave teaches our Home Renovation series including Knowing Your Home Basics, Electricity, Drywall, Tiling, and Plumbing. Dave likes to say “Get this!” a lot before saying something of interest. So get this:

David Cooke has taught home repair classes for thirteen years. He’s written articles on home repair and improvement for a local magazine and appeared weekly on a television program in Boston as the "Resident Home Repair Guy" for two years. David ran his own home repair and improvement business for most of the last 30 years. Dave also plays in a band, was a comedian, and is a retired judge / attorney (which is truly wild to me).

You should take one or all of Dave’s classes. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all - you’re going to learn a lot about your home.

Here’s what people say about Dave’s Classes….

"David was hilarious. Also I feel much more confident."

"Incredible amount of information and practice for 3 hours without feeling overwhelming."

"Instructor was fantastic, kept the jokes coming and made the time fly by!"

“I would appreciate it if Dave would wear clothing next time!!!”

Four SUPER EASY Ways to Help the Denver Tool Library!

SHORT ON TIME, BUT WANT TO HELP?

We don’t all have time to be a regular volunteer, and we aren’t all rich beyond our wildest dreams, so here’s four super easy ways to help us out (if you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams, skip this article and click here).


WAY ONE: KING SOOPERS

King Soopers has a program where they kick a non-profit of your choice (DTL!) a small percent of all of your purchases. If you get groceries/ gas/ beer there on the reg, consider putting our name on your account.

  1. Create an account at their website. It's quick - you can skip the little setup wizard that comes second if ya want.

  2. Go to this Community Rewards page of your Account Dashboard and search for Denver Tool Library.

  3. Click enroll. Easy peasy! Now a really mathematically obscure percentage of your spending will be donated to the DTL! Hoorah!


WAY TWO: LEAVE A 5 STAR REVIEW ON GOOGLE

Not into shoppy choices of how to help? Leave us a Google review. It’s super helpful in convincing people who say “wtf is a tool library” that we are cool and they should take a chance and try us out.


WAY THREE: TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT WE’RE AWESOME.

Tell your friends how much we’ve helped you! Tag us in IG stories about your project or just be that annoying "crypto bro" but instead of crypto talk about what a cool concept a tool library is.


WAY FOUR: SEND US A COUPLE BUCKS.

And who can’t forget the last easy way to help - Venmo’ing us a few bucks @denvertoollibrary, or kicking a tax-deductible donation our way! For those who have the means, even a little money can go a long way in repairing/buying tools and subsidizing memberships for people/orgs.


THANK YOU, YAY, GOOD JOB, WOOHOO!!