Open Hours
Open Hours - Meaning for the Public
When we say "we are open" we mean
Open hours are subject to card holder availability. We have posted open hours both on our website and on our calendar. This is our minimum goal. There is a thread on the GoogleGroup that discusses attempts to make sure that during those hours a card holder will welcome anyone who is interested in coming in and seeing the place / get stuff done. Specific events are are also dependent on who ever the event sponsor is (a card holder) to make sure the facility is open during those events. It maybe (hopefully very rarely) that during the posted hours, no one has been able or willing to open the doors to non-card holders. It would be good to check the related GoogleGroup discussion board for comments on availability, and or double check with the event sponsor to make sure things are still on before investing in significant travel.
What is available during open hours
All tools are available for use during open hours. Many of the larger tools require an orientation/training class in order to use it. Tools like the laser cutter, mill, lathe, welding tools, and many of the others have official classes periodically to train and go over proper safety when using those tools. Once you have take a qualifying course, or worked with the champion of the area enough to win approval, you may use the tools during hours where a card holder has sponsored you (which includes open hours). Some of the tools require coordination on use because of power constraints (for instance the mill, welder and laser share the same circuit and can't be used at the same time). It is best to come down and find out what is going on with the community before planning to use any of the large tools for projects that will require more that a few minutes to work on.
Open Hours - Meaning for the Host
Hosting an open hours means: being there on time (or eariler) and leaving on time (or later - no earlier, unless somebody else covers it for you). It also means sitting somewhere near the front of the lab, and helping anybody that comes in. You are responsible to and represent the community for those that come in when you open to the public. Be excellent to them. Help them learn the guidelines that allow HSL to make these awesome tools available to the public. Verify training and waiver signatures for anyone using tools that require training. By helping them follow the order the community has setup, you help them join the community and protect HSL from the results of situations gone wrong.