Open Workshops

Open Workshops - What is a “makerspace”? A makerspace is quite simply a shared space dedicated to making.

The mission of Open Workshops is to bring science, technology, engineering, and the arts to everyone by offering community-oriented crafting space and educational events which are open, accessible, and affordable to all. Makerspaces can be anywhere, any size, or target any kind of making: a basement with a sewing table, the corner of a school classroom with craft supplies, or a commercial facility

with tens of thousands of square feet of dedicated machine shop space. A makerspace is a place where folks who share an interest in making can gather, share ideas and knowledge, and collaborate on projects.

- Okay… so what is “making”? Adam Savage (maker and former co-host of Mythbusters) describes making as taking your point of view and using it to bring something into the world. It doesn’t matter if that thing is a table, a novel, a quilt, or a line of computer code - it all counts as making if you’re putting part of yourself into it. We don’t see any reason to draw lines and exclude any kind of craft from making! Our guiding principles:

- Accessibility
Open Workshops should be as affordable and accessible as possible: we want to eliminate as many barriers to entry as we can. Among other things, these barriers include cost, training, and culture.

- Diversity
Making isn’t specific to any one demographic; we want the membership of Open Workshops to be radically inclusive. Any race, any gender, any sexuality, any background - all are welcome in an Open Workshop. What isn’t welcome is harassment or exclusionary behavior or language.

- Community
Open Workshops works to foster a community of makers and making in the community, working to create a vibrant and welcoming space for every maker.

Great class today, learning all about table saw safety and how to perform various types of cuts.
05/13/2026

Great class today, learning all about table saw safety and how to perform various types of cuts.

We had a packed and very exciting Sunday, with a great bookend woodworking workshop followed by staff training for our b...
04/20/2026

We had a packed and very exciting Sunday, with a great bookend woodworking workshop followed by staff training for our brand new SawStop table saw. Any day you can make some sawdust is a good one, and we made a lot today!

We'll be offering a Table Saw Safety & Techniques class starting next month, so if you've ever wanted to learn how to use one of the most important and flexible power tools in a woodworker's toolbox, keep an eye out for that!

The card class last night was a blast! Hot Diggity Designs usually hosts one every month at our makerspace, so keep an e...
04/18/2026

The card class last night was a blast! Hot Diggity Designs usually hosts one every month at our makerspace, so keep an eye out for the next one! :)

If you've been to a pop culture convention like Motor City Comic Con just this weekend and thought "boy, I wish I could ...
11/16/2025

If you've been to a pop culture convention like Motor City Comic Con just this weekend and thought "boy, I wish I could learn how to make costumes like that", I have good news for you - the Tra'cor Clan - Mando Mercs of Michigan Costume Club will be hosting an armor party at Open Workshops this coming Saturday, 11/22, from 11 AM to 6 PM!

This event is free and anyone is welcome, regardless of fandom or level of experience! Come on out to work on your kit, or just chat with the Mandos and learn how they do their thing. There's a lot more to it than you might think!

Photo below from their last armor party in July!

We have a new bite-sized Tool Showcase video up on YouTube highlighting our OMTech AF2028-60 CO2 laser cutter. If you w...
09/23/2025

We have a new bite-sized Tool Showcase video up on YouTube highlighting our OMTech AF2028-60 CO2 laser cutter. If you want to learn a bit about this tool and what it can do, check it out!

In this tool showcase, we're showing off our OMTech AF2028-60 CO2 laser cutter. We'll give an overview of its features, capabilities, and what kinds of proj...

We had a great time yesterday carving headstones from foam! (Would that make them headfoams?) Our workshop attendees ha...
09/14/2025

We had a great time yesterday carving headstones from foam! (Would that make them headfoams?) Our workshop attendees had fun making a mess, and the finished results look great!

If you'd like to join in the fun and make a headstone of your own to decorate for Halloween, we'll be running this workshop again on Tuesday September 30th, and a few more times throughout October!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carve-a-headstone-from-foam-registration-1641585619779

Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated summer with us at our cookout today! We had a great turnout and share...
07/27/2025

Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated summer with us at our cookout today! We had a great turnout and shared fantastic food with some familiar faces and some new ones. We're lucky to have such a great community of members, staff, family, and friends!

We're looking forward to hosting many more community events at our makerspace, including a 3D Printing Users Group meetup on 8/16 - if you missed the cookout, hopefully we'll see you there!
https://www.facebook.com/share/19p9TbJm97/

Address

1855 Bellingham Road, Suite J
Troy, MI
48083

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 2pm
Tuesday 5:30pm - 9pm
Wednesday 5:30pm - 9pm
Thursday 5:30pm - 9pm
Friday 5:30pm - 9pm
Saturday 3pm - 9pm

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