Columbia Gadget Works

First time at CGW? Tonight is the easy one. Open Hack Night, 6 to 8 PM, free, no sign-up. Bring a project, something broken, or nothing at all. 1404 Grand Ave, Columbia. #makerspace

This is what a radio station's music library looks like: shelves of CDs from floor to ceiling. Thanks to the KOPN crew for showing us around! Know a group in town we should visit next? Tell us in the comments. #kopn #columbiamo

Free monthly classes start this month. First up: CAD, Tuesday Nov 3, 6-8 PM at Columbia Gadget Works. Open to the public. columbiagadgetworks.org/calendar #makerspace

Battlebots at CGW: cardboard robots, ESP32 or radio control, one arena, open to the public. We've run it about three times. Follow to see what's next. #robotics #makerspace

Jeff is setting up CGW's new Bridgeport mill. Come see what's going on in the shop at Open Hack Night, Thursday, October 15, 6 to 8 PM at 1404 Grand Ave. Free, no sign-up. #columbiamo #makerspace

Our new shop zones, color-coded on a 3D model of the floor. Free CAD class to build models like it: Tue Nov 3, 6 to 8 PM, 1404 Grand Ave. Financial assistance from the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs. https://columbiagadgetworks.org/calendar/ #columbiamo #makerspace

Work in progress at the shop: a CGW member is wiring a Scorbot ER-4u robot arm to run from an Arduino and H-bridge motor drivers. The control board is mostly jumper wires and optimism so far. #arduino #makerspace

Work in progress at the shop: a CGW member is wiring a Scorbot ER-4u robot arm to run from an Arduino and H-bridge motor drivers. The control board is mostly jumper wires and optimism so far. #arduino #makerspace

Work is continuing on our reboot with a 'zone-based' organization. We're transitioning to  six active zones - Metal working, Machining, woodworking, digital fabrication, electronics, and Arts.  This model (FreeCAD BIM) shows the interim layout.

Why throw away what you can fix?

We all know that feeling...... Come hang out at CGW!

Come make something amazing at Columbia Gadget Works!

Come use the milling machine at Columbia Gadget Works!

Come enjoy a cold one at your local Makerspace! #columbiamo #makerspace

New CGW lathe being moved into position! Still lots of work to be done to finish the wiring and setup. Come by for our free open night every Thursday at 6pm to check it out! Big thanks to Veterans United Foundation and all our members who donated to help this happen!

From a 3D design to sign. 7 seconds of CNC therapy for the day. Made at Columbia Gadget Works. #ColumbiaMO #COMO #MidMo #Makerspace #CNC #CNCMachine #MakerTok #ShopSounds #DigitalFabrication #Woodworking #BuiltNotBought #DIY #Prototype #Maker #LaserCut #Fabrication #MissouriMakers

KOPN Tour – April 23 For our open night 2 weeks from now, we'll be taking a field trip to the local KOPN radio station! KOPN has graciously offered to give us a tour of their radio station facility, including some of their very cool equipment and studios. If you'd like to participate, please join…

Soldering Class and Art in the Park Just a reminder that the CGW soldering class will be March 26th at 6pm. We'll be going over hand soldering and reflow/SMD soldering techniques with free giveaways! Also, CGW is planning to have a booth at Art in the Park (June 6 and 7). If you're interested in…

Metal Casting Class – Recap Thanks to everyone who showed up for the metal casting class! If you have any ideas for future classes or something to cast in metal, join the discord server linked on our website or send an email to columbiagadgetworks@gmail.com

Metal Casting Class – Feb 26th! Join us this Thursday (Feb 26, 2026) for a FREE metal casting class at 6pm. Learn how to make a plaster mold from a 3D printed part and cast it in different types of metal with the equipment you can use for FREE at Columbia Gadget Works!

Community Maker Series this month at CGW (1404 Grand Ave) is Jan 15 at 6pm. This free class covers metalworking techniques for mills, lathes, and more. Free materials provided for those who attend. Supported by Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs. discord.gg/F7kM7ardMs

At CGW TOMORROW at 6pm- FREE Community Maker Series. There will be more classes coming so stay tuned. This session: Meshtastic- an open-source, off-grid communication network. Financial assistance for this program has been provided by the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs.

What is the best CAD software for a makerspace? Fusion? FreeCAD? Solidworks for makerspace (now free) Or something else?

At CGW on October 30 at 6pm- FREE Community Maker Series. There will be more classes coming so stay tuned. This session: Meshtastic- an open-source, off-grid communication network. Financial assistance for this program has been provided by the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs.

Stay tuned - Columbia Gadget Works is putting together a FREE hands-on session on how to use Meshtastic, the free, open-source way to connect off-grid. We’ll also be giving away some gear including free Meshtastic devices for those who show up early. Stay tuned for details and signup info!

Exciting stuff going down at your local makerspace! www.columbiagadgetworks.org/post/new-too... #makerspace #columbiamo

Final Reminder- Columbia MO swap meet tomorrow morning - Saturday June 27th at 10AM - rain or shine! We've got more cool stuff than I can fit in a picture- and bring your own to sell/donate!

New Tool Day! #makerspace #columbiamo

Do you need a router, a router, a ROUTER, or maybe... a router? We've got 'em. All kinds. Even the kind that gets you online. Come to the Columbia Gadget Works Swap Meet and dig through our glorious pile of spare gear. 📅 June 28th at 10AM 📍 1404 Grand Ave #Makerspace #SwapMeet #ColumbiaMO

What’s the most important tool a Makerspace should have for the community? We’ve got our own thoughts—but we want to hear yours! Whether it’s a machine, a material, or something more abstract... Drop your answer below! #Makerspace #ColumbiaMO #DIY

Reminder- Columbia Gadget Works is having a swap meet June 28th at 10AM! Bring your junk and cool stuff to swap with people! 1404 Grand Ave

The killing blow from our robot battles last month! Who do you think won this one?

Is anyone old enough to recognize this 3D printer we used to have? Looks like a V6 hotend and inductive probe. #makerspace #3dprinting #columbiamo

One of our members fixed a dead GPU by replacing the VRAM thermal pads - back in service! Come get hands-on with your own projects at Free Open Hack Night, every Thursday at 6pm at Columbia Gadget Works! Everyone is welcome. #Makerspace #ColumbiaMO #OpenHackNight #GPUFix #ThermalPads #DIYComputing

📣 Saturday, June 28 📣 We’re hosting a swap meet in the CGW parking lot — bring your gear, parts, tools, or anything else you want to trade or sell. Show up with your car full, and see what others have to offer. No Membership Required. Starts around 10:00 AM 📍 Columbia Gadget Works - 1404 Grand Ave

Hey Columbia! We’re Columbia Gadget Works — your local nonprofit makerspace for building, tinkering, and creating cool stuff together. We just hosted a cardboard battlebot competition- more videos to follow soon! #Makerspace #ColumbiaMO #BattleBots #DIY #CardboardCarnage #GadgetWorks