Interested in getting involved as a Shop Volunteer? We’re now recruiting for the May – August semester. Shop volunteers work at the VTL during open hours and are responsible for signing up members, loaning out tools, performing tool maintenance checks, and other shop-related activities. Prior experience and knowledge with tools is not required.
We have a volunteer training program that is built around a mentorship model to ensure that every volunteer has the chance to learn and grow in their position with the VTL. Shop volunteers work a minimum of one shift every two weeks and must commit to a minimum four-month volunteer period (one “semester”).
Our shop volunteers must become members of the tool library, which entails paying for a (fully refundable) $20 membership share.
All shop volunteers receive the following benefits:
up to one year free tool access (annual maintenance fee is waived)
one free workshop per “semester” (four month period) volunteered
We are now recruiting shop volunteers for the May – August semester. If you’re interested in joining our volunteer team, please fill out this application form and we’ll be in touch with you soon about volunteer training! Any questions about the application form or the volunteer program can be directed to Kathy at volunteer@vancouvertoollibrary.com.
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, April 07th, 2013 | No Comments »
This workshop is now full. Keep an eye on our Events page for future workshops.
For thousands of years, humankind has been transforming wood into all kinds of incredible things without the aid of motors. Woodworking with hand tools is a more contemplative process which brings you closer to the wood and allows you to better understand the material being worked. Find a connection with this timeless method of making and creating at our very first Intro to Woodworking with Hand Tools Workshop.
Instructor Geof Vincent (the VTL’s very own Shop Manager!) will introduce participants to the basic tools needed for working wood by hand: planes, chisels/gouges, and saws; and demonstrate their proper use. Marking and measuring with scribes, knives, compasses, gauges and squares will also be covered in tandem with a brief lesson in wood grain. Participants will be given a chance to work with each tool and practice the techniques while receiving feedback and instruction, and leave with the resources to continue their own education in a self-directed manner.
When: Saturday, May 4th, 2013, from 11:00am-2:00pm
Where: The Tool Library, 3448 Commercial Street
Cost: $20 for VTL Members | $25 for Non-Members
What to Bring: All materials will be provided. The workshop will take place outside so wear comfortable, tighter-fitting clothing that is weather appropriate.
Questions? Email lauren [at] vancouvertoollibrary [dot] com
Advance registration is required! Please pre-pay and sign up through the PayPal button below or come into the shop to register. Refunds are available up to 48 hours before the workshop begins.
Workshop Registrants: Please include your email address in the PayPal form!This is how we’ll contact you with any workshop updates and to confirm your registration. Note thatVTL Members will be required to present their member cards at the workshop.
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, March 26th, 2013 | No Comments »
This workshop is now full. Keep an eye on our Events page for future workshops.
This workshop is back by popular demand this month!
Spring has finally sprung; it’s nearly time to transplant those seedlings you’ve been lovingly tending to for the past couple weeks. This is the perfect opportunity to become familiar with some of the tools in the Vancouver Tool Library inventory in an inclusive, fun environment. See the principles of physics at work in our Intro to Tools Workshop (and never question the real world applicability of high school classes again).
Design courtesy of Steve Fairbarn
After this workshop, participants will leave with the confidence to name and use basic tools necessary for everyday projects AND a planter box to adorn a balcony, deck, or backyard. Facilitator Brent Firkser will go over safety with power tools, designing and planning a project, and the execution of said plan.
When: Sunday, April 14th, 2013, from 11:00am-2:00pm
Where: The Tool Library, 3448 Commercial Street
Cost: $20 for VTL Members | $25 for Non-Members
What to Bring: All materials will be provided. The workshop will take place outside so wear comfortable, tighter-fitting clothing that is weather appropriate. Avoid dangly accessories for safety reasons.
Questions? Email lauren [at] vancouvertoollibrary [dot] com
Advance registration is required! Please pre-pay and sign up through the PayPal button below or come into the shop to register. Refunds are available up to 48 hours before the workshop begins.
Workshop Registrants: Please include your email address in the PayPal form!This is how we’ll contact you with any workshop updates and to confirm your registration. Note thatVTL Members will be required to present their member cards at the workshop.
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, March 25th, 2013 | No Comments »
The VTL actively supports and encourages the use of reclaimed and found materials for new projects. Why just share and reuse tools when you can do so with materials as well? When the team of CityStudio students behind The Stoop approached us with their project, we knew it’d be a perfect example to show our readers. Take it away, Charlotte, Otilia, and Romney!
Tell us about your project and the progress you’ve made so far, as well as what inspired you to work on it. We got together as a group because we all wanted to divert wood waste through sustainable design and peer-to-peer material engagement. We launched this project trying to tackle one of the city’s Greenest City 2020 Action Plan goals: the 2015 Wood Waste Ban. We wanted to use what we saw as an abundant and readily available material to create a design object which would change the way people perceive ‘waste’.
Reclaimed wood from Strathcona renovation
With the wood we got from a deconstruction site in Strathcona, we were able to design and build a six-foot long bench. We called it The Stoop. This bench travels around Vancouver and lives temporarily in coffee shops, restaurants and other social spaces where a dialogue about the issue of wood waste can begin. We saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the character and history of this wood through contemporary design. Along the way met an entire community of people dedicated to working with reclaimed wood material. We got in touch with people who were doing working on DIY personal home projects, as well as designers creating one-of-a-kind, high end furniture pieces. We were met with support from communities who were interested in the appeal of having such an piece and employees at City Hall who are also working on the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, trying to implement an upcycling/sorting system for wood waste in Vancouver.
Finished product!
Where have you traveled to generate dialogue on wood waste and reclaiming materials? Which businesses will you be holding discussions at in the future? Anything you’d like to share from what’s happened so far? Initially we were interested in placing it outdoors and having it change locations every couple of months. However, due to City Hall regulations and financial issues we had to have it indoors. We got in touch with small businesses, in particular coffee shops. We hoped that, by placing The Stoop in high traffic, social spaces, it would become a point of interest and conversation. Eventually, the Gluten Free Epicurean was interested in hosting it at their store. During the design process, we were in constant contact with people from the sustainability group at City Hall, where we were working to come up with ways in which we can expand this project beyond The Stoop bench. We also looked into how other cities were addressing wood waste divergence. In New York there was a design competition,12×12 in which 12 contemporary furniture designers were asked to use reclaimed lumber from 12 demolished buildings in New York City. Also in New York a group of designers were taking discarded moving crates and making Adirondack chairs and ‘chair bombing’ the city. These projects were really appealing to us and we saw a perfect niche for them to be adapted to Vancouver. Since December when our CityStudio course concluded, we’ve been getting together to debrief and organize all of our ideas, as well we’ve been looking into potential grants in order to expand a move forward with ongoing creative wood waste projects.
How can Vancouver Tool Library members and supporters help you with your project? We are looking into the many avenues of possibility for the future of this project. We are extremely happy to speak with anyone who is passionate about wood waste diversion on how we can support each other through creative collaboration. We would also love to hear stories from VTL members who are already doing these types of projects and learn more about their challenges and outcomes. It would be great to maintain a dialogue with everyone at the VTL so that our project can be influenced and enriched by the creative minds of our community in order to make the value of this waste material visible. We can be contacted via e-mail: thestoopvan[at]gmail[dot]com.
In what sort of direction do you see this project and dialogue headed? In an ideal world we see reclaimed materials being used widely in Vancouver and seldom ending up in the landfill. We hope to see a wood waste hub being conceived in the coming years, where wood can be taken, processed, categorized and made available for re-use. This system would give a new value to the wood. It would make the process more efficient because the large scale processing and categorization would give way for many avenues of wood waste re-use, such as biofuel, framing for houses, and furniture. As for where we stand at the moment, our goal and vision is to develop an active and interdisciplinary community of people who can all work together to give form to their ideas of how wood waste can be best used in Vancouver.
Team Wood Waste hanging out on The Stoop
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, March 21st, 2013 | No Comments »
This workshop is now full. Keep an eye on our Events page for the April and May workshops.
Unfamiliar with the Vancouver Tool Library inventory and the functions of the tools? Want to learn to use those tools in a fun and safe environment? See the principles of physics at work in our Intro to Tools Workshop (and never question the real world applicability of high school classes again).
After this workshop, participants will leave with the confidence to name and use basic tools necessary for everyday projects AND a planter box to take home. Spring is just around the corner – get your garden started! Besides the push for urban gardening, our goal is for you to feel comfortable working with a variety of different tools in your own home. Facilitator Steve Fairbairn will go over safety with power tools, designing and planning your project, and the execution of your plan.
When: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013, from 11:00am-2:00pm
Where: The Tool Library, 3448 Commercial Street
Cost: $20 for VTL Members | $25 for Non-Members
What to Bring: All materials will be provided. The workshop will take place outside so wear comfortable, tighter-fitting clothing that is weather appropriate. Avoid dangly accessories for safety reasons.
Questions? Email lauren [at] vancouvertoollibrary [dot] com
Advance registration is required! Please pre-pay and sign up through the PayPal button below or come into the shop to register. Refunds are available up to 48 hours before the workshop begins.
Workshop Registrants: Please include your email address in the PayPal form!This is how we’ll contact you with any workshop updates and to confirm your registration. Note thatVTL Members will be required to present their member cards at the workshop.
Written by The Vancouver Tool Library, February 26th, 2013 | No Comments »
