Facilities · Workshop
Saws, drills, and a very serious tool count.
The Montavilla workshop is 1,400 square feet of wood, metal, dust, and rules. Kids certify on tools the way drivers certify on cars.
- Size
- 1,400 sq ft
- Power tools
- 17
- Certifications
- 8 levels
- Tool count
- Every session
The workshop is in the basement of the old print shop on Glendale. It is loud, it smells like sawdust and machine oil, and it is the room kids ask about before they ask about anything else. It is also the room where we are most strict, because the stakes are obvious.
Tools
| Tool | Access | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Hand tools (saws, chisels, planes, files) | Open | Orientation only |
| Drill press | Open with staff present | 10-minute check |
| Band saw | Staff present | Level 1 certification |
| Table saw (SawStop) | Staff operates | Level 2, demonstration required |
| Miter saw | Staff present | Level 1 |
| CNC router | Staff operates | Level 3, design file review |
| Welder (MIG) | Staff present, 13+ | Level 4, parent consent |
| 3D printers | Open | Orientation |
How certification works
Each tool has a short practical test: set it up, use it correctly on scrap, shut it down, clean it. A kid who passes gets a colored tag on their name badge, which they are extremely proud of. A kid who fails gets another try next week and a specific thing to practice. Nobody is permanently banned from a tool; some kids just take a term.
Dust and air
A 2-hp dust collector runs whenever the saws do, and the air scrubber runs for 30 minutes after close. We test the filter quarterly. This is the least interesting paragraph on this website and the reason nobody has had a lung problem in fifteen years.
The first thing I teach is where your hands are. Not the cut, not the project. Where are your hands. Kids hear that for a term and then they hear it for the rest of their lives.
Come see the rooms
Tours run Tuesdays at 4:00 and Saturdays at 11:00. No appointment needed, but call if you want a specific program lead.