Brooklyn Woodworking Workshop: MakerSpace NYC Day Pass

Anyone in New York who has searched for a woodworking workshop knows the problem: apartments have no room for a table saw, and most shops want a monthly commitment before you can cut a single board. MakerSpace NYC solves it in a converted army warehouse at 140 58th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Its woodshop sits inside a 20,000-square-foot studio, and non-members can walk in on a day pass, so a first project does not require a long-term contract.

A visitor report on Tools for Working Wood describes the Brooklyn woodshop as very well set up for modern work, with new, organized equipment spread over a comfortable amount of room. Alongside the traditional machines there are two CNC routers, which is unusual for a public shop at this price. Bench space inside the woodshop is limited, but there is plenty of open floor in the main hall right outside, so bigger glue-ups and assembly happen there in daylight.

The surrounding building adds a lot. MakerSpace NYC also has a metalshop and a machine shop, plus sewing, 3D printing, electronics and laser cutting in the Maker areas, so a project that needs a brass inlay or a laser-cut template can stay under one roof. A cutting board, a stool and a small side table are all realistic for a single visit if you arrive with a plan and a cut list.

The Brooklyn shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. It is closed on Monday. The Thursday evening stretch is the longest window of the week, which makes it the natural pick for people coming after work.

Because the shop is closed on Monday and the weekend close is 6 pm, Saturday is the busiest stretch for a casual visitor, while Tuesday and Wednesday give you the same ten hours with more room on the floor. Anyone coming straight from work on Thursday has until 8 pm, which is long enough to mill stock, cut joints and dry-fit a small piece.

Prices are posted on the memberships page. A Pro Day Pass costs $75, and the Pro tier is the one that lists the industrial equipment, including the woodshop. A Maker Day Pass costs $50 and sits with the Maker tier, which lists sewing, 3D printing, electronics, laser cutting and open work areas, so woodworkers should book the Pro pass. Associate members get a discount on day passes. If a single day turns into a habit, the Pro membership is $325 a month with unlimited use of the metalshop, woodshop and machine shop, and the Maker membership is $225 a month for the lighter areas.

Day passes and machines go together with training. The site offers Basic Use and Safety classes on the commonly used tools, along with specialty classes and more in-depth training, and the woodworking listings include Woodshop 101 with dates running from September to November. For people who want a structure, an Intro to Woodworking course runs for twelve weeks, from November 2 to January 25 in Brooklyn. Schedules and tickets are posted through the organization's Eventbrite page, so book a safety class before you plan a Saturday project.

If you have never touched a jointer or a planer, treat the first visit as a class and a project at once. Write a cut list before you arrive, with every board length and the order you plan to cut them, because machine time is the scarce part of a day pass. Bring safety glasses if you own a pair, wear closed shoes and tie back long hair, because the tools are industrial and the floor is concrete. Leave loose sleeves at home.

Good first projects fit inside a single day. A cutting board needs only a few milled boards, glue and a sander. A three-legged stool teaches layout and joinery without much material. A small shelf lets you use the table saw and a router for a clean groove. Choose one of these, pick the lumber at home or a yard on the way, and spend the day on accuracy instead of ambition. Finishing oil can wait for the car ride home.

The terminal is a huge multi-building warehouse depot that the Army built after World War I and that the city later rehabilitated for light manufacturing. It stands at 58th Street and First Avenue. The R and N trains stop about three blocks away, there is a fair amount of parking around the complex, and a ferry stops at the terminal too. Because the hall is vast, follow the signs for Building B and ask the guard if you are unsure which entrance to take.

There is also a second location at 450 Front Street, Unit B, on Staten Island. It is a 6,000-square-foot industrial fabrication hall with 35-foot ceilings and overhead cranes, and it is by appointment only. For a walk-in woodworking day, Brooklyn is the place to go.

Plan the visit around lunch. First Avenue and the avenues up the hill from the terminal are lined with the Chinese, Mexican and Latin American restaurants that Sunset Park is known for, and a short walk takes you to Industry City at 220 36th Street, where food halls, shops and studios fill former warehouses. If you finish early, Bush Terminal Piers Park on the waterfront at 43rd Street gives you a view of the harbor and a place to eat a sandwich in the sun.

A good rhythm for the day is to book a morning safety class or arrive at opening, cut and shape in the first half, eat in the neighborhood, and return for glue-up and finishing in the afternoon. On Thursdays the later close makes it easy to split the day in two.

Address: Building B, Unit 1C, 140 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220. Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm, closed Monday. Pro Day Pass $75, Maker Day Pass $50, Pro membership $325 a month. Memberships and classes are listed on makerspace.nyc, and class tickets go through the Eventbrite page named MakerSpace NYC.

If you want help planning a weekend of making around Brooklyn, ask the Karpo APP for nearby workshops, lunch spots and routes, and it will line up the stops for you around your hours.