Have you been wanting to use our industrial woodworking tools to start or finish a project, but don’t really understand how our open workshop works and you feel too afraid to ask? Don’t worry! Here’s what you need to know before you head down to our community workshop. Up to date hours, fees, and guidelines can be found on our website. While you’re there- check out our class calendar for Shop Safety and Certification times (hint: you'll need to take one of these before you can use Open Shop!)
Open Workshop Hours are not the same as tool library hours! Currently, the workshop is open Thursday’s from 2-7pm and Saturday’s 10am-3pm. See you in the shop!
Financial Assistance v2.0 is Coming!
We are in the process of expanding our financial assistance program for individuals and organizations so it can give bigger discounts to more people for more of our programs! Soon we’ll be able to offer 25% - 50% off Tool Library memberships, Classes, and Open Workshop Hours if you qualify. This new financial assistance program is planned to begin in May 2024, however you are able to apply early OR donate early to the fund now.
Beekeeping II: Hands-On Hives is Back!
This class is the sequel to our Beekeeping I: Bees, Hives & Honey class. Taking Beekeeping I or having similar beekeeping education is highly encouraged before taking this class, but not required.
In this course we will go more in depth about what a hive inspection consists of, how to 'read' comb, diagnosing, and honey processing. Students will have hands-on opportunities to see and 'read' honey comb up close as well as harvesting honey. We will also cover how to gear an over-wintered colony up for spring.
Most beekeeping that is taught today is taught in a conventional manner, and Alex's class will help open your mind up to natural beekeeping tendencies as well as some of the folklore that is associated with the honeybee. Students will have the opportunity to ask general questions as well as specific questions regarding their hive throughout the class.
About Your Teacher: Alex has been keeping bees for 5 years and is passionate about sharing this knowledge with others in order to help the local pollinator population. She is interested in keeping bees on a spiritual level and aims to be a steward of the earth through this ancient practice. You can see more of her work on her Instagram @alma_apiary
Join the Resource Raisers!
"Release your inhibitions, feel the Raise on your skin"
-Natasha Bedingfield (Unwritten)
Here at the Denver Tool Library, we're proud to provide the Denver metro area with low (and no!) cost access to tools and the know-how to use them. We remove the common barriers to tool access, such as high cost, space, knowledge, and discrimination, so that everyone can have the resources they need to create and maintain the lives they imagine. We're not able to provide these resources without raising some resources of our own, and so we've formed a new committee to do just that: raise resources for DTL through fundraising, friend-raising and being ambassadors for our organization.
Introducing (drum roll, please) The Denver Tool Library Resource Raisers!
This is a brand spankin' new committee for the Denver Tool Library and we are looking for passionate people to help build this into a valuable resource for DTL.
Some of the Resource Raisers goals are:
Raise funds to support our artists, scholarships, tool maintenance and more.
Be ambassadors by sharing the great work we do with your network.
Introduce DTL to new donors and/or corporate sponsors.
Plan community events to introduce DTL to new members.
We are looking for ten members to jump aboard this journey with us! You don’t need to have a history of fundraising or committee work, and we won't make you prove that you know how to use a chop saw. You just need the passion to join our team and the desire to make a difference in your community.
Interested? Please fill out this brief application and we'll reach out to you within 2 business days.
Have questions? Want more information? Contact our fabulous fundraising coordinator Sandra Tucker at sandra@denvertoollibrary.org.
Brand New Class! Woodturning III: Lidded Boxes
Brand New Class! Woodturning III: Lidded Boxes. The first class is on 4/20 at 4pm, so make yourself a cute box for your 4/20 supplies (but please don’t partake in said supplies until after class!)
Woodturning I or equivalent experience is required. Woodturning II is not required.
In this class, we'll delve into the topic of end-grain hollowing to create a cute little round box or jar with a friction-fitting lid. You'll learn how to hollow with the spindle gouge and scrapers, how to dial in the fit of the lid just right by using the lid itself to mark the mating piece on the box base and sneaking up on the fit slowly, and finally you'll learn about using a self-made "jam chuck" to finish off the bottom of your box. We'll also cover good form and design for boxes such as considerations for making the grain between the lid and the base look continuous and disguising the join with a detail such as a small bead or v-cut.
Warning: Once you make one of these delightful little boxes, you won't be able to stop, and you will become a wood hoarder if you're not already because every little scrap you see will start to look like a box! Learning how to hollow into end grain will also unlock a variety of other project ideas for you such as goblets and cups.
About Your Teacher: Chris Hoehle is 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.
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!!
Bad Dad Jokes at the Tool Library
When your dad’s friend gets a membership at the Denver Tool Library, by @aprilfrankenstein
Get yourself a Tool Library Membership so you can make your own bad dad jokes today! One whole year is only $150.
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!
