Columbia Gadget Works

Laser cutter

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The laser cutter is the most popular machine in the shop, and the one that brings the most first-time visitors through the door. It cuts and engraves by focusing an invisible infrared beam onto the material: through plywood and acrylic up to roughly a quarter inch in one pass, and engraving photos, text, and patterns into wood, leather, glass, stone, and anodized aluminum.

What people make: signs, boxes and enclosures, gears and mechanical parts, stencils, jewelry, engraved cutting boards and flasks, architectural models, cosplay armor, and one-off replacement parts for things that broke.

CNC router

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The CNC router turns a drawing on a computer into a carved part. A spinning cutter moves over the workpiece under computer control, cutting profiles, pockets, holes, and 3D reliefs with a precision and repeatability that’s hard to match by hand. It’s the tool for anything flat-ish that needs to be exact: enclosures, brackets, signage, inlay, jigs, furniture joinery, and parts for other machines.

Materials: hardwood, plywood, MDF, plastics like HDPE, acrylic, and Delrin, and, with care and the right cutter, aluminum and brass.

3D printers

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3D printing is the easiest way to go from an idea to a physical object, and our two Bambu Lab printers make it nearly foolproof. Both have an AMS (automatic material system) that holds four spools, so you can print in multiple colors or switch materials without babysitting the machine. Typical prints take an hour or two; large ones run overnight.

What people make: replacement knobs and clips, phone stands, enclosures for electronics, prototypes of parts they’ll later machine or cast, miniatures, custom organizers, cosplay props, and patterns for the metal casting setup.

Metal shop

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The metal shop is where the heavy iron lives. A Bridgeport vertical milling machine and a Clausing engine lathe let members make precise parts in steel, aluminum, and brass: shafts, bushings, brackets, fixtures, and repairs for machines that stopped being sold decades ago. Welders, a bandsaw, a chop saw, grinders, and a drill press round out the zone for fabrication work: frames, carts, brackets, and art.

What people make: custom motorcycle and car parts, tooling for the other machines in the shop, repairs for farm and shop equipment, steel furniture, and the occasional battlebot.

Metal casting

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Casting is the shop’s newest capability and one of its most satisfying. Print a pattern on the 3D printers, invest it in plaster, burn out the plastic in the kiln, and pour molten metal into the cavity that’s left. An hour later you’re holding a solid metal version of whatever you printed. Members have cast pendants, badges, replacement hardware, knobs, and small sculptures.

The process, roughly:

Pattern: design and print the part, with a sprue (the channel the metal flows through) attached.
Investment: mix plaster investment, pour it around the pattern in a flask, and let it set.
Burnout: heat the flask in the kiln to burn the plastic out and dry the mold.
Pour: melt the metal in the furnace and pour it into the hot mold.
Finish: quench, break out the plaster, cut off the sprue, and polish.

Training and classes

Because it involves molten metal, casting is only done with a trained member present. The good news: we teach it regularly as a free class. Our first metal casting class in February 2026 filled up fast, and we’ll run it again. See classes and the recap.

Electronics bench

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The electronics bench is the most beginner-friendly corner of the shop and the one visitors can use right away on a Thursday night. Temperature-controlled soldering stations, a hot-air rework tool, a scope, power supplies, and bins of common components cover everything from a first blinking LED to repairing a vintage amplifier or building a custom circuit board.

What people do here: learn to solder, fix broken gadgets (the original reason this place exists), build kits, program microcontrollers, design PCBs, and reverse-engineer things they were curious about.

Woodshop

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The woodshop covers the basics well: a table saw for ripping and crosscutting sheet goods and boards, a miter saw for quick accurate cuts, a band saw for curves, a planer, a router table, sanders, a drill press, and a wall of clamps. Combined with the CNC router and laser cutter next door, members build furniture, shop fixtures, speaker cabinets, enclosures, signs, and the occasional canoe paddle.

Training

The table saw requires training before solo use; it’s the tool that causes the most injuries in any shop. Training covers blade guards and riving knife, push sticks, fence and miter gauge setup, and kickback avoidance. The miter saw, band saw, planer, and router table are covered in a general woodshop orientation. Hand tools, sanders, and the drill press are available to anyone after a quick walkthrough.

New Website!

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:01:02 -0500

The site has been rebuilt again, this time as a fast static site that any member can edit on GitHub. Check out the source code

KOPN Tour – April 23

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:05:47 -0500

For our open night two weeks from now, we’ll be taking a field trip to the local KOPN radio station!

KOPN has graciously offered to give us a tour of their radio station facility, including some of their very cool equipment and studios.

If you’d like to participate, please join our Discord server and check the announcements channel. You can meet us at the KOPN station at 6:30 pm (401 Bernadette Drive), or carpool from the CGW shop between 6:00 and 6:15.

Soldering Class and Art in the Park

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:57:50 -0500

Just a reminder that the CGW soldering class will be March 26th at 6 pm. We’ll be going over hand soldering and reflow/SMD soldering techniques, with free giveaways!

Also, CGW is planning to have a booth at Art in the Park (June 6 and 7). If you’re interested in showcasing projects for CGW or hanging out at the booth, please get in touch.

Metal Casting Class – Recap

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:44:09 -0600

Thanks to everyone who showed up for the metal casting class! We made plaster molds from 3D-printed patterns and poured them in metal, and everyone went home with something they cast themselves.

If you have any ideas for future classes or something to cast in metal, join the Discord server or send an email to mail@columbiagadgetworks.org.

Curious how it works? See the metal casting page.

Metal Casting Class – Feb 26th!

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:52:15 -0600

Join us this Thursday (Feb 26, 2026) for a free metal casting class at 6 pm. Learn how to make a plaster mold from a 3D-printed part and cast it in different types of metal with the equipment you can use for free at Columbia Gadget Works!

No experience needed. Bring closed-toe shoes and long pants; we’ll supply everything else.

New Website!

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:34:15 -0600

Please bear with us during the transition. New information and features coming soon!

Metalworking Class

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:10:59 -0600

CGW has been running monthly classes. Last month, Jeff shared knowledge about using the manual milling machine in the CGW workshop, and other metalworking information.

Want to learn the mill or lathe yourself? See the metal shop page and watch the events calendar for the next session.

About Columbia Gadget Works

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Our mission

Our mission is to provide an inclusive community workshop where members can access tools, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects in areas such as woodworking, electronics, metalworking, and digital fabrication. We aim to empower people of all skill levels to explore, learn, and build.

What a makerspace is

A makerspace is a shared workshop. Think of it the way you think of a public library, but for tools: an 80-watt laser cutter, a CNC router, a Bridgeport mill, a Clausing lathe, 3D printers, and a full electronics bench are expensive, loud, and take up space that most people don’t have at home. By pooling dues and donations, our members share equipment none of us could justify buying alone, and, more importantly, share what they know about using it.

Classes and workshops

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Open Hack Night is the first class

Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm the shop is open to everyone. It isn’t a formal class, but it’s where most learning at CGW actually happens: a member shows you how the laser works, someone walks you through your first 3D print, a machinist explains what you did wrong on the lathe. If you want to learn something specific, say so when you arrive. Plan a visit →

Code of conduct

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Columbia Gadget Works exists so that people of every background and skill level can learn and build together. That only works if the shop is a place people feel welcome and safe. This applies to everyone in the space, on our Discord, and at our events: members, visitors, instructors, and officers.

We expect

Be welcoming. Introduce yourself to new people. Answer questions without making anyone feel dumb for asking. Everyone was a beginner once.
Be respectful. Disagree about the best way to cut a dovetail, not about someone’s worth as a person. No harassment, no slurs, no unwanted attention, no jokes at someone’s expense.
Be safe. Follow the training and safety rules for every tool. Wear eye protection around machines. Don’t work alone on dangerous equipment. If you’re impaired, don’t operate anything.
Be considerate. Clean up. Put tools back. Don’t hog a machine when others are waiting. Ask before using someone else’s materials or project.
Be honest. If you break something, say so. Nobody gets in trouble for reporting damage; they get in trouble for hiding it.

We won’t tolerate

Harassment, discrimination, threats, intimidation, or deliberate disregard for safety. Anyone asked to stop a behavior is expected to stop immediately.

Contact

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Visit

Columbia Gadget Works
1404 Grand Ave
Columbia, MO 65203

Open to the public: every Thursday, 6–8 pm (Open Hack Night)
Members: 24/7

Park in the gravel lot and ring the bell by the side entrance.

Reach us

Email: mail@columbiagadgetworks.org
Phone: 573-326-9868 (voicemail; a volunteer will call back)
Discord: join the server for the fastest answers
Social: Facebook · Bluesky

We’re volunteers, so email replies can take a few days. If it’s urgent and it’s a Thursday evening, just come by.

Donate

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What your donation does

Columbia Gadget Works is run entirely by volunteers, so every dollar goes into the shop and its programs:

Keeps Open Hack Night free. Every Thursday, anyone in Columbia can walk in, learn a tool, and get help with a project at no charge. Rent and utilities for those evenings are paid by donors and members.
Buys and maintains equipment. Laser tubes wear out, end mills break, 3D printers need nozzles and filament. Larger gifts have bought the machines themselves: our laser cutter, CNC router, and 3D printers were all funded by members and donors.
Funds free classes. Soldering, metal casting, machining, and electronics classes are offered free or at cost. Donations cover materials so a class doesn’t have to turn anyone away.
Supports community projects. Like the open-source Roll-to-Prone hospital bed our members built in 2020, and outreach at events like Art in the Park.

Tax-deductible giving

Columbia Gadget Works is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Events calendar

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Every week, every month, every year

Open Hack Night Every Thursday, 6–8 pm
Free and open to the public. Tours, demos, help with your project, and the basic tools. No sign-up needed. Skipped only on major holidays.
City of Columbia grant classes First Thursday of the month, Nov 2026 – Oct 2027
A year of free public classes funded by a City of Columbia grant. Topics announced a month ahead.
Board meeting Last Thursday of the quarter, 8 pm (after Open Hack Night)
Open to members. Agenda and minutes are posted on the member wiki.

Membership

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What members get

24/7 access to the shop with your own door credential.
A storage locker or bin for works in progress.
Use of every tool you’ve been trained on: laser cutter, CNC router, mill and lathe, welders, 3D printers, the woodshop, and the electronics bench.
Discounts on paid classes and first dibs on class seats.
A vote. Members elect the board and approve the bylaws.
The community. Members with decades of experience in machining, electronics, software, and woodworking who like answering questions.

Dues

Level	Monthly	Who it’s for
Standard	$50	Full access for one adult.
Supporter	$100	Full access, plus you’re subsidizing a Thursday night or a scholarship.
Scholarship	$0 – reduced	Board-approved for students and anyone for whom dues are a barrier. Just ask.

Dues are billed monthly through Givebutter and can be cancelled at any time. Dues are not tax-deductible to the extent you receive access in return; donations are.

Privacy policy

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Last updated: September 18, 2026

Columbia Gadget Works (“CGW”, “we”) operates columbiagadgetworks.org. This page explains what information the site collects and what we do with it.

What this website collects

Nothing, by default. The site is a set of static pages. It sets no cookies of its own, has no user accounts, and does not use advertising trackers.

Hosting logs. The site is served by Cloudflare, which processes standard request data (IP address, browser, pages requested) to deliver the site and defend against abuse. Cloudflare’s handling of that data is described in its privacy policy. We may use Cloudflare’s aggregate, cookie-free analytics to see how many people visit and which pages are popular. That data does not identify individuals.

Visit

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Open Hack Night: every Thursday, 6–8 pm

The easiest way to see what Columbia Gadget Works is about is to walk in the door on a Thursday evening. Open Hack Night is free and open to the public. No membership, no sign-up, no experience required. Most of our members found us exactly this way.

Here is what usually happens:

Someone greets you. Ring the bell if the door is closed; a member will let you in and show you around. Ask for a tour; it takes about ten minutes and covers every zone in the shop.
You can use the basic tools. Hand tools, the electronics bench, the 3D printers (with a member’s help), and whatever demo is running that night are available to visitors. The big machines (laser, CNC router, mill, lathe) need training first, but a member will happily show you how they work.
Bring a project, or don’t. People show up with broken lamps, half-finished robots, a 3D file they want printed, or nothing at all. All of those are fine.
Classes often happen on Thursdays. Check the events calendar or the news page; class nights are announced a couple of weeks ahead.

Open Hack Night is skipped only on major holidays. If a Thursday falls on one, assume we’re closed unless the calendar says otherwise.