It would be hard to come up with a project you couldn’t create at Make Salt Lake.
The “makerspace,” housed in the Salt Lake City Arts Hub at 663 W. 100 South (west of The Gateway), is meant to be a place where DIYers can make art and work on projects even if they lack the tools and space at home.
Instead of trying to cram a wood shop or a machine shop into their garage, tinkerers will find well-equipped spaces dedicated to both crafts at Make Salt Lake. Instead of fighting to keep their cats off the sewing pattern they’re trying to cut out, people who sew can take advantage of Make Salt Lake’s spacious textiles studio.
And it’s all available to the public 24 hours a day for a monthly subscription fee.
Executive director Michael Sanders said Make Salt Lake is “kind of like a gym, except you don’t do situps. You come in and saw and sew and stuff.”
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Michael Sanders, executive director at Make Salt Lake, guides a tour of the textiles workspace during an open house, Dec. 7, 2022. Make Salt Lake is a "makerspace" that provides access to tools, machinery and space for their members to make art and projects.
What’s at Make Salt Lake?
Make Salt Lake is equipped with a wood shop, a machine shop, a metal shop, an electronics bench, a textiles lab, a leather bench, a jewelry bench, a spray paint booth, a small photography studio, a print shop, a 3D printing lab and more.
On a recent Wednesday night, Sergio Hernandez was using a laser cutter to create a wooden slider box that he was going to put a gift in, he said. Since he made the box the exact size he needed, it won’t be too big or too small, he said. He used the laser cutter to cut out individual wooden pieces that he then assembled.
Hernandez said he started coming to Make Salt Lake in 2017 because “there’s just a lot of cool things you can do on your own. You can be a handyman without having all the tools necessary to be a handyman.”
The first step to getting a Make Salt Lake membership is to take a tour of the space. Next is orientation. After that, you’re free to use whatever equipment or lab you want, but some areas of the makerspace require special certification to enter, and some individual tools, like the forge and laser engraver, require further safety training.
You’ll need to bring your own materials, but some consumables are provided for members’ use, and payment is accepted at those stations on the honor system.
It’s all available for $75 a month per household, to people over age 18. Business memberships are also available for $75 a month for the primary business member, plus $35 a month for each additional team member. Students and veterans can get a discounted membership for $35 a month.
To view a comprehensive list of what Make Salt Lake has to offer, and see which areas require safety certification, visit MakeSaltLake.org and click on “Shops and Benches.”
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Carlin Carter, a volunteer instructor at Make Salt Lake shows the laser cut tiny model houses she makes to a group of visitors during an open house, Dec. 7, 2022. Make Salt Lake is a "makerspace" that provides access to tools, machinery and space for their members to make art and projects.
Finding a community of makers
Before a show-and-tell session at Make Salt Lake, people were munching on pizza, listening to music and chatting. Many had projects they’d made at the makerspace, ready to present to their fellow creatives.
Once the session began, Hernandez showed the small audience a set of metal cups he had engraved at Make Salt Lake.
Beth Sallay — who teaches book binding at the makerspace — passed around a small book she made, its small pages covered with delicate watercolor paintings.
Scott Moore showed off several knives he made in the blacksmithing area, including a Scottish dirk knife and an anti-vampire knife he made for his wife. “The blade says, ‘Eat garlic or die,’” Moore said. “Well, she’s not a fan of vampires. She hates them — especially ‘Twilight’ vampires.”
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Scott Moore, a volunteer instructor at Make Salt Lake shows a forged key ring beginner artists learn to make in his class to visitors during an open house, Dec. 7, 2022. Make Salt Lake is a "makerspace" that provides access to tools, machinery and space for their members to make art and projects.
The atmosphere was supportive and interactive. Makers weren’t afraid to talk about roadblocks they ran into in their process, and attendees spoke up if they thought of a solution.
That sense of community is the other reason many makers choose to come to Make Salt Lake, they said.
Sanders encourages members to work together. “We’re not like Home Depot, where you’re renting the tools. We are a community-based organization,” where members collaborate and help each other.
Theo Perth is a brand-new member who was being trained that night on how to use equipment in the 3D printing lab. They said they were a part of a different makerspace several years ago, but that Make Salt Lake is “way better put together” with a more active membership.
“Community is important,” Perth said. “It’s one thing to have access to equipment,” but also having someone you can go to as a resource is “more valuable than a lot of people realize.”
Correction: Dec. 22, 12:52 • This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Beth Sallay’s name.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Randy Phillips, a volunteer instructor at Make Salt Lake shows the artwork beginner artists can learn to make in his sublimation class to visitors during an open house, Dec. 7, 2022. Make Salt Lake is a "makerspace" that provides access to tools, machinery and space for their members to make art and projects.
