MAKLAB is an open access digital fabrication space in Glasgow, Scotland that provides equipment and training to help people of all ages and backgrounds make and repair things. It started as a small fablab funded by a personal loan and has grown to include over 250 members, 2000 individual uses annually, 6 employees, and two premises thanks to additional funding. MAKLAB offers free access to tools and machines, training workshops, and workspace for startups and recent graduates.

1. www.maklab.co.uk
#themaklab
facebook.co.uk/themaklab
Bruce Newlands
Founding Director

2. MAKLAB is an open access digital fabrication space, that is
available to people of all ages & backgrounds to make & repair
‘almost’ anything…..
We try to make some extraordinary
technology & skills training available to
ordinary people so that they can make.

3. It started with the simple idea to create a small fablab in Glasgow
built around £20k personal loan finance.
After receiving no support from 15no. funding bodies we sought
support from the local authority.
They helped us find £150k grant funding from Creative Scotland,
The Scottish Government’s Creative Arts Agency to setup in The
Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture & Design as a one
year pilot supporting the creative industries & the public.
The grant allowed us to both purchase machines and employ two
full time staff in a 2500sqft first floor city centre gallery space.
MAKLAB started May 2012.

7. We currently employ 4no. full time staff, 2no. part-time staff and
have around 6no. regular volunteers who benefit in-kind in
various ways through their interaction with us.
The operational team are directed by a board of six people from
diverse backgrounds, all with an interest in making / learning.
We have over 250no. members and have had over 2000no.
individual uses of our facilities over the past year.
We are a ‘not for profit’ social enterprise setup as a company
limited by guarantee and we are also a registered charity.

8. We offer free access to our workspace(s), hand tools, wifi,
workstations, software & electronics tools.
We offer a ‘pay as you go’ rate to all machines ranging from per
minute rates for in demand items like the laser cutter through to
half day rates for 3d scanning / digital textiles.
We offer an annual tiered ‘membership’ (Student / Maker / SME)
which gives regular users a 50% discount on all machine rates
with other discounts for training, events & materials.
We also work with ‘tenant staff’ – young professional makers who
share our space and deliver skills training in kind for access to
the equipment and use of the address.

10. We are based in Glasgow and have
two city centre premises.
Our main space is a 4500sqft ‘shop
front’ studio for 3d printing /
scanning / laser cutting, textile
work, electronics, digital design, co-working
and skills training /
education events.

15. We regularly support recent graduates / young startups as a
space to work from when they are without permanent offices &
access to equipment, four examples include:
+ Fi Scott | www.MAKEWORKS.co.uk
+ Anna Marion | Jeweler & Rhino 3D Educator
+ Isla Munro | Costume Designer & Textiles Educator
+ Tom Walkinshaw | Alba Orbital Micro Satellite Founder

16. We offer a range of weekly training & skills workshops open to
the public for low cost delivered by skilled practitioners.

19. Our second space is two adjacent railway arches, offering
6000sqft of light industrial workshop for ‘micro manufacture’ with
capacity over multiple machines for large projects using sheet
timber, plastics, metal & stone.

28. MAKLAB have co-founded the wood co-operative with four other
social enterprises – Tog, GalGael, The Coachhouse Trust &
Glasgow Wood Recycling – collectively we provide rehabilitation /
employability skills training to long term unemployed / difficult to
reach individuals often fighting mental health issues.
thewoodcooperative.org

30. We have delivered 3 week long workshops to young people in
partnership with The Princes Trust, taking participants through
the design journey of creating marketable ideas from scratch to
fabrication and e-commerce.
We regularly offer free or low cost day workshops to local youth
groups & schools as entry point into making generally, design
thinking and digital fabrication.
Projects are often based on their own geographical area and
specific environment / identity issues.

32. We work with a variety of other local, regional & national partners
to deliver a range of different skills training.

42. togstudio.co.uk

45. www.maklab.co.uk
#themaklab
facebook.co.uk/themaklab