The Dr. Welch Workshop: A Makerspace at Penn College
Makerspace
What is a makerspace?
A makerspace is a workshop where you can collaborate with classmates or work independently to test theories, explore ideas, and gain real-world skills to power your career. Most of all, it's a place where you can work on fun projects outside of class.
Membership
Penn College Students, Faculty & Staff
The Makerspace's equipment, tools, and supplies are available to all current students, faculty, and staff of Penn College.
Printed copies of the User Agreement are available in The Dr. Welch Workshop for you to sign when you arrive.
Guests in the Makerspace
The Makerspace will be open May 15–August 9, 2025 for use by the broader community with the payment of a membership fee.
| Membership Level | General | PCT Alumni or Family |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Day | $15 | $10 |
| 3-Day | $25 | $20 |
| 12-Day | $50 | $40 |
| Summer | $100 | $80 |
The Space
Gilmour Tinkertorium
The Gilmour Tinkertorium allows you to create ideas and bring them life using computers with design and creation software, 3D printers, a sublimation printer and heat presses, vinyl and paper cutting machines, and sewing and embroidery machines.
There's plenty of work space and a closet full of free supplies and materials for your projects.
Logue Fabritorium
The Logue Fabritorium is an ideal space for cutting wood and fabricating metal. From a scroll saw to a metal lathe, and much more, you can use hands-on techniques and tools to make something new or discover problems and solutions.
Due to the nature of the work, personal protective equipment may be required, including safety glasses, hearing protection, or dust masks.
Equipment
Wood & Metal
- Table saw: Cuts straight lines in wood
- Chop saw: Cuts wood to length
- Bandsaw: Cuts curves in wood
- Scroll saw: Cuts fine, intricate details in thin wood
- Jointer: Cleans and flattens edges of wood
- Planer: Reduces thickness of wood
- Drill press: Drills wood
- Wood lathe: Shapes wood via turning
- Router: Carves edging and channeling in wood
- CNC router: Carves digitally-created designs in wood
- Spindle sander: Sands curved edges
- Belt sander: Sands flat edges
- Metal lathe: Shapes metal via turning
- Metal mill: Shapes metal via milling
- Metal chop saw: Cuts metal
- Metal drill press: Drills metal
- Tool sharpening: Sharpens/hones edge tools
- MIG welding: Joins pieces of metal together
- TIG welding: Joins pieces of metal together
- Metal grinding: Removes metal and smooths surfaces
- Plasma cutting: Cuts sheet metal
Solder, Paint, Cut, Sew & More
- Soldering iron: Connects electronic components by melting solder into joints
- Reworking gun: Melts soldered joints to remove or fix them
- Power supply: Creates stable power for testing small projects
- Oscilloscope Visualizes electronic signals
- Function generator: Creates waves of a set frequency for testing electronics projects
- Sewing machine: Fabricates items out of cloth
- Serger: Uses overlock stitch to finish seam edges and sew knit fabrics
- Embroidery machine: Sews digitally-created designs onto fabric
- 3D printers: Fabricates 3-dimensional objects in plastic
- Sublimation printer and heat presses: Transfers full-color images onto mugs or flat objects
- Vinyl cutting: Cuts vinyl stickers, paper, and similar materials
- Laser cutters: Engraves and/or cuts images into a variety of materials
- Sandblaster: Uses abrasive sand to remove paint, rust, etc.
- Spray booth: Vents fumes from aerosol spray painting
- Design computers: Software for design and creation on equipment in the makerspace
Our People
"Makerspaces provide amazing opportunities to have fun and to learn from others. The range of projects going on in the makerspace in any given day is phenomenal—building a boomerang, sewing a blanket, carving a wooden spoon, welding a repair into a car transmission, customizing a shirt, machining parts for an RC boat, wiring a lightsaber, weaving a basket, 3D modeling a cell phone stand—all happening in the same place"
Kat Valentine
Manager of Makerspace Operations
Our Makers
Check out what students have to say about the Makerspace.
Student
Caleb Line
Engineering & Industrial Design Technology
As an industrial design student, Caleb is comfortably at home in the Dr. Welch Workshop. Helping the college community execute their widespread creations, he’s assisted students and staff make everything from an electric guitar to a replica of Thor’s hammer. Meet Caleb and learn how he’s supporting makers at Penn College.
Student
Zak Smith
Welding & Metal Fabrication
He transferred to Penn College and hasn't looked back since. Today he's a senior resident assistant, College Relations assistant, welding instructor at the Dr. Welch Workshop, and member of the student chapter of the American Welding Society.
Makerspace
Summer 2025 Hours
The Dr. Welch Workshop is open to Penn College students, faculty, staff, and public members over the summer:
May 15–August 19
Thursday–Saturday: Noon–8 p.m.
Summer Closings
The Makerspace will be closed:
- Friday & Saturday, June 20 & 21 (construction)
- Thursday & Friday, July 3 & 4 (holiday)
We're here to help
Need help with something? Just ask!
The staff can teach you how to work with the tools and assist you with projects. Master tool safety, then use them any time the workshop is open. Ask about training options.
Our People
Why I Support Penn College
Entrepreneurship Educator with EOS® Implementer
"The students of Penn College have amazing clarity at a very young age. They come to hone their skills in dozens of majors across a dizzying number of fields. We hope the makerspace will forever add tremendous value to their futures."
Marshall Welch
Owner at GilmourArts
"I’ve always been a tinkerer, and I’m lucky to have the resources to be able to share that passion with others. As an alum it is so important to share your own life experiences with students. The Makerspace creates a synergy within the learning community allowing student to student interaction, exploration, and collaboration. Having a place to go to experiment, to prove a concept or even fail in an effort, can be a priceless experience for students before moving into a hands-on career field."
Fred Gilmour '66, '72
Real Estate Developer and Senior Construction Executive
"My parents were tinkerers, fabricators and artists. We were fortunate to grow up in a house where innovation was encouraged with wood and metal working tools, sewing machines and parents who taught us how to use them. When Penn College approached me about this project, I was on board right away because it is important that young adults have an opportunity to learn these life skills."
Herman Logue
