Maker spaces are cool concepts and if the EAA put a big initiative into chapters essentially reformed themselves as the operators of public makerspaces, with an emphasis on aircraft tooling but certainly expanding into facilitating other hobbies and interests, it would definitely be a good way to side-load younger people into being around aircraft production. It might have a small but worthwhile positive yield. And certainly a boon for existing members. (I am ignoring what seems like a very real theory that the EAA would want nothing to do with anything interesting like this from a pure liability standpoint, which is a whole discussion)
There are many challenges with makerspaces. But key, #1, top grade problem with a makerspace is that to honestly be worth using by those who know what they're doing, they really need to have deep backing, ample space, and quality state-of-the-art tools that are leagues beyond what the individual is likely to invest in. Sure a starter makerspace with a modest budget might impress the 19 year old who took a shop class once. But if you're serious about this stuff you likely already own or have moved past using the low-hanging fruit. So a makerspace needs to really be on the upper edge of prosumer grade if not moved fully into industrial-level tooling.
In specific terms:
Not just a hobby CNC router, but the industrial CNC router with vacuum hold-down and quality dust collection and proper safety systems.
Not just a 50 year old Bridgeport, but a modern (post-2000) CNC machining center. Or 3.
Not just 2 or 3 Prusa-clone printers someone put together from a kit, but a selection of the latest printers including resin and carbon fiber printers. (Formlabs and Markforged as examples) Maybe some of the more maker-grade machines with large envelopes for such projects.
Not just a harbor freight hydraulic press bought with the 20% off cupon, but a 50-100 ton press with a pump system and various dies and brakes for it.
Let's add that if it's an aviation based makerspace, that it has some kind of fiberglass layup area and all of the tools, vac pumps, resin storage, etc. (And ideally stocks the consumables for purchase) as well as at that point a whole mold-making shop with foam carving tools, sanding stuff, etc etc.
And certainly toolboxes full of rivet guns, bucking bars, dimple die sets, myriad arrays of fancy specific tools for aircraft metalwork. Ideally enough stuff for 2-3 RV projects to be going concurrently. For that matter maybe some large rivet presses for spars, a hydroforming press, sheet metal tools, etc.
If we're dreaming, a paintbooth big enough for a fuselage or wing.
I know this list sounds quite excessive and demanding. And it is a high bar, which maybe only a few of these areas get focused on at a time. But there's little room to go half-hog on the tooling. It's the main reason I as a customer/patron/member/etc is even bothering. Otherwise, frankly, the question I at least ask myself is "can I just go buy that equipment, or find someone with that particular tool that I can use for the 1-2 times I need it, without the awkwardness and burden of some official membership at a place that will require money, waivers, taking their classes, dealing with their schedules and so on?"
Which leads to the number 2 issue with a makerspace is that you can't just go do the work whenever you want, and using whatever methods you like to employ. Unless you take the time to get admitted into the inner echelons of membership, you're always in someone else's space, under their eye, and subject to their particular flavor of "the way it should be done." And that guidance sometimes is helpful when you are seeking that, sometimes is annoying when you know how to rivet but the person wants to maybe explain it step by step anyway. And that's not even factoring in the all-too-real possibility that whoever is the designated shop-tsar sees you drop a chuck key one time and forever brands you a liability who can't be trusted with a T-square.
So the makerspace needs both the substantial funding to be well-stocked beyond most people's wildest dreams, and then have a cool-enough ownership team that is willing to trust its patrons enough to let them loose with the $40,000 Haas mill without having to have monitors violating the social distancing protocols that existed before March of this year.
L:astly, as a user, you want a makerspace that no-one else is using most of the time, so that you can use the tools whenever you want and as needed. Nothing was more frustrating in college model shop than realizing that both sets of that specific super tool you needed to finish the project happened to be used by other groups. So if you have to book CNC time 2 weeks out, and for only a few hours, because the rest of the schedule is booked full, you really have to know exactly how to ninja your way into the space and get a job done without any delay or hiccups. Otherwise you're gonna time-out and have to clear out and loose your setup. So best if on most days the machines are sitting idle just begging for use and schedules can remain wide open.
Sadly a shop that rarely has customers doesn't justify pouring the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of capital investment into. Unless there is a non-profit motivation for doing this, such as trying to build awareness of something... whatever that could be, hmmm...
So the sad thing is the more general purpose, fancy pants makerspace that would get a lot of interest from the serious makers and do a lot of positive brand building and brand-awareness for one organization that should be 100% about DIY maker ethos, probably is the last thing the EAA is likely to support or fund.
But to be clear here, that would be the type of space that would be perfect for the EAA to fund.
Meanwhile back in reality, what most chapters could swing is maybe something useful, but not probably all that helpful outside of the closed interest of the chapter. IE to those specifically looking to finish an RV/Sonex and save a few bucks. And that's probably a scenario where someone who already bought all the stuff to finish their RV has little further use for it, and donates it to the chapter for whoever to check out as needed. And maybe over time adding a few pieces of capital equipment, cuz "Doug" or whoever was able to score a nice 8ft brake or a jump shear at an auction or from work. And that's fine, in fact it's honestly quite excellent! But that's hardly worth the effort to rebrand it as a makerspace, IMO. It's just some communal tools for members to use as needed for specific purpose and likely with the sort of budgets involved shouldn't be lent out to just anyone.
EAA could go down this road, even if it was just negotiating some super sweet package deals for equipment and tooling and so-on, plus some grants, so that chapters could find local investors and city boards willing to go along with the initiative. If the central body was pushing it and there was some serious backing (ie not just the 3 local pilots who are "really super passionate y'all") then I could see town and city boards being pretty receptive to the idea even.
I know for sure that there's a massive push in the US right now, not sure if explicit or implied, to put a huge emphasis on training for manufacturing and bring more high-tech production home. Piggybacking on this effort and letting the big money do it's thing with the right branding and message layered on top, might be a possible success story?
