The Ace Honor Store

What is the price of the Krazy Glue in the coworking store and how do people pay for it?

$2.45 + Tax. You can see the prices in the store on the Ace website.

How do people pay for the products in the coworking store that don’t have a QR code?

On the online store. All the items are listed there.

Classes and Instructors

How does Ace get instructors?

Ace has staff, contract, and volunteer instructors. Our instructors are directly recruited from the communities of the greater East Bay. We prioritize folks who teach in a way that aligns with our mission or are willing to learn. The organization’s relationship with all our instructors is reciprocal and we are excited to continue to learn and grow together. Learn more about current instructor opportunities on the Ace website.

Specific Program Questions

Are there any supplies for leather working?

Yes. What we have in Textiles is listed in broad strokes on the website

We are working on adding more details to the Ace Wiki Textiles Section as well. But we have some very nice tools, paints, and more.

Where can someone work on and assemble a woodworking project (ex. table)?

That is pretty contextual to the project. A table could be worked on in three different areas during it’s life. For example:

• Dimensioning and preparing the wood pieces would be done in the Workshop and stored in the horizontal lumber storage, Sheet Goods storage or #113 Storage in between work sessions
• The glue-up assembly might be done in the workshop but then set to dry in the Flex Area of #113
• Any slab resin pouring needed would happen up in Clean Fabrication
• Finish sanding would happen in the Workshop
• Low VOC finishing would happen in the Flex Area of #113
• During the life of the build, a storage exception might be needed. I.E. For a few days or 1 or 2 overnights it might need to live on dollies in a non-standard area with leadership approval. Folks are there to help you finish your project… while making it work for everybody.

How many members are allowed to be in/use woodworking at a time?

Roughly speaking across those two rooms it really isn’t practical to have more than 12 to 18 people in the rooms. But we don’t break up that space by the number of people, but rather by “project spots” So there are 6 small “project spots” available at any given time. This wiki article goes into detail about Shop Capacity and reservation of space.

Has the change in covid policy, changed the number of people that can work in woodworking?

Nope. Please see the wiki article about capacity.

Using Ace

How crowded does Ace get? When is it the most crowded?

This is really hit or miss. We have tried to run many, many predictive models and tracked data. There have been new patterns. Loosely, one can bet on after work during the week and weekends because that is when we have most classes and people have the most free-time.

Not knowing the trend can be really frustrating. That is why calling “Dibs and

How many members does Ace have?

Right now (April 2023) Approximately 200. As part of our commitment to transparency we publish a State of the Organization report every month that includes metrics. But Ace serves not only members but members guests, community partners, and class and event attendees from the public.

Where to ask questions

We have lots of ways for folks to ask questions… where you ask the question is contextual to the question. But a good place to start is Slack on the #general or #new member channel.

Can someone hold a meeting at Ace?

Yes. But we don’t rent space. We will partner with folks and other groups in the community to allow them to use our space if it is a good match. i.e. there is a mission alignment. Members can also hold meetings in the space but not call exclusive use of the whole makerspace and reasonably not even a room. Everything is shared. Before the pandemic members would use the space to hold small group meetings for fun and work. Private individuals who are not members cannot use the space for meetings.

Can a member host a board game night often?

Yes. For just a table or two it is a matter of calling dibs most of the time. There are even things like Bluetooth speakers, projectors and such for enhancing the gaming experience. Larger regular events can be arranged by talking to Crafty to ensure your regular event doesn’t clash with other regularly scheduled events. If the game night in question uses the whole room it is considered good for to make the event open to members. Some Ace sponsorship might also be possible.

How Ace Runs

Is Ace run by volunteers?

Partially. Ace has a small staff of 5 plus instructors, plus volunteers, and volunteer leaders. Members are also expected to engage in the community though regular contributions of effort and engagement beyond dues. Ace is not renting tools, shops or studios.

Is there a required amount of time commitment for monster corps members?

Yes. Learn more about the Monster Corps Volunteer program on the website.

History

What does “ACE” stand for?

“Ace” is not an acronym. If you see it written as ACE it is a type-o. The “Ace” in Ace Makerspace comes from our original name Ace Monster Toys. Technically we are Ace Monster Toys doing business as Ace Makerspace. Organization lore says that the name was selected by the founders as a reference to the movie Sneakers about white-hat hackers. In the movie the plucky hackers named all their fictitious businesses with anagrams of the phrase “too many secrets”. The name Ace Monster Toys is an anagram of, you guessed it, “too many secrets. Also it starts with “A” so we are at the top of many directory listings.