New Member Orientation

From Pumping Station One

Last Edited: 01/29/2020 Frequently Asked Questions


How to Join

You can join by following the steps , which are, in short:

  • The first step should be to check out the space. We have a public meeting every Tuesday at 8pm. You'll get a tour and if you join that night, it's a good time to get your ID checked. You could also come by any event that’s open to the public. There are many: almost anything on the event calendar that isn’t a tool authorization.
  • You can apply for membership by starting recurring payments on the website. From the home page, look for the "Join" menu item.
  • Find two board members or authorized membership admins to check your government-issued ID. To find them: attend either a Tuesday open house (8 pm almost every Tuesday, except for a few holidays) or a New Member Orientation. Before your membership is official, two board members (or one of the non-board authorized ID checkers) will need to check a government-issued photo ID. Either of these events is a good time for that. Once your ID has been verified, you'll get an RFID fob for door entry and will be able to start getting authorized to use tools and equipment. If you can’t make it to an open house or an orientation there are still many times you can have your ID checked; to arrange a time send an email to [email protected]
  • Once you've received your welcome email, you should go to our member site and activate your userid/Active Directory account. This account will serve as your Wiki account as well as your log in for computers around the space. Do this as soon as possible.

But you've got concerns, let's address them:

  • I have a project I need to get done on a very short time frame, is there any way to get in before next Tuesday?

Sorry, no. Unfortunately we are not a job shop, fab lab or tool rental company. You're going to need some patience. We are 100% volunteer run. Likewise, no day passes, no corporate memberships shared between several people. Not a good fit for this kind of place.

  • How do I get authorized to use the laser cutter?

The laser cutter is our most popular tool. There may be an authorization session on the Events calendar, or one may be in the process of forming, usually based on a discussion on the Google Group mailing list. There are a few recommended authorizers for the laser. Check the wiki page for the laser, as you would for any tool. There are more volunteer authorizers for laser cutters than ever before; scheduling a time won’t be hard.

How do I get authorized on tools?

It depends. Start by looking for a wiki page for that tool, see if that tells you how. You can find a thing's wiki page by searching for it on the wiki, or by looking for an equipment label on the thing that will tell you the URL to the thing's wiki page.

Most/many tools require authorization. This was formerly referred to as certification and many members wiki pages still refer to it as that. Authorization requirements vary from thing to thing, sometimes have prerequisites and sometimes can only be done by one or a small set of trainers. Information about how to get authorized may be explained in detail on a particular tool's wiki page, and is likely to be discussed on the mailing list/Google group. For some of the more common authorization schemes, here is a quick reference:

How do I get authorized? (quick reference, not a complete list)

Pumping Station: One Is ...

A Do-ocracy

That means whoever's doing something is the person who decides how it gets done. If you want to do something, you can basically Just Fucking Do It.

An organization of individuals doing their own thing

"Pumping Station: One" doesn't do anything besides pay the bills. Any group projects, building/planning new space facilities, etc. all gets done because an ordinary member thought it was important, got people excited about it, and followed through.

Entirely run by volunteers

Our Board of Directors, people offering training on the equipment, and anyone who looks like they're doing anything remotely official are all volunteers. That means if you ask them nicely for something they'll probably help you, but you should do what you can to make their job easier.

Except the people we pay to do things, who are probably not members. We pay a cleaning service to clean the bathrooms and an electrician to run wires. The building owner pays roofers to roof and something is going on with the front of the building right now.

How to get Involved

All of these are optional ways you can get involved at PS:One.

Orientation Notes

Orientation Notes