Crafting Creativity

The smell of sawdust signaled the start of the Furniture Workshop series in the FabLab’s Shop Room at the Central Library on Sept. 8. 

Each semester, students, faculty, and staff members can sign up to learn woodworking skills through one-on-one instruction as they work to complete a project. These projects include crafting items like a cutting board or a picture frame.  

Timothy Neill, Shop Room Manager, stated the workshops are open to anyone interested in woodworking with little or no experience. All that is required is to have a willingness to learn. 

“The workshops are a great way to get started with a project and by the end of a couple of sessions, you have a tangible thing to take home,” Timothy said. “They don’t need any prior training to sign up for the workshop. The training that they would need is folded into the curriculum, so it is completely seamless.” 

Timothy stated that since they started offering the furniture workshop series in 2019, it has grown in popularity gravitating toward creating smaller items rather than large pieces like an end table. 

“By the end of the workshop, they have gained a tremendous amount of experience. Hopefully, they have also gained confidence using the equipment, competency and safety,” Timothy said. “We have seen a lot of people who have gone through workshops and come back on their own time to make more things.” 

The projects people create in this class are done over several sessions that take place from 2 to 5 p.m. every Friday during the semester, except for Thanksgiving and finals week. 

If a student can’t attend the workshop to finish their project, they can come in during the week during open shop hours, listed on the UTA Libraries website.   

The cost for the workshops ranges from $7 to $25, which covers the cost of materials. No other fees are required. 

People can learn about the upcoming workshops through UTA Libraries’ Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages. There is also a poster outside of the Shop Room on the first floor that lists the Workshop times. 

To register for an upcoming workshop, email Timothy Neill at timothy.neill@uta.edu. 

The Shop Room at the Central Library is a great way to uncover a hidden talent while creating something new that can be used in your home. We at UTA Libraries look forward to seeing your vision come to life.