A guide to VHS' physical space

This is our building! It's short in the front, long in the back. A great mullet for happy hackers! Currently this is the sixth iteration of Vancouver Hack Space, and one of the largest we've been able to inhabit so far. We're truly excited for all the great projects we can get started on now that we have this building.

We're located at 1601 Venables St., at the corner of Woodland Drive, 2 blocks West of Commercial Drive. The front door is normally locked to the public, but keyholders voluntarily open the space to other members. Our open house nights are always on Tuesdays 4:30-9:00pm, where we welcome the community to come down, say hi, and work on a project.

• Take the #20 from downtown along Hastings and up commercial drive to Venables. Walk down Venables
• Take the #22 from downtown along Pender and Prior to Clark. Walk up Venables
• Take the #95 up Hastings to commercial drive, then take the #20 to Venables and walk

• Take the train to Commercial Broadway and then take the #20 down Commercial Drive to Venables
• Take the #22 from Knight St.

• There is a bike share nearby on Adanac and Woodland drive just around the corner

There is free street parking on Woodland drive and temporary parking in the alleyway behind VHS. \ There is also free 2-hour street parking out front on Venables from 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday

There is a city bike rack with room for two bikes on the street in front of the space. There are also suitable poles and trees nearby. No bike shed.

Our bay doors at the back are large and wheelchair accessible, though our front door and side door are not.

To see if VHS is open right now, check is VHS Open?

• List of nearby restaurants
• Learning Resources
• Local Suppliers

Please water the rose bush.

To the right of the front entrance is our clean office room / flex space. Can be used for meetings, workshops, or just a cleaner area to work on a project.

This is a designated clean area, so no dripping wet paint or sawdust, please.

To the left of the main entrance is the kitchenette. We have a fridge, espresso machine, induction cooktop (pending installation), and hot plate. The Mini Fridge is downstairs in the hangout. Please see our food storage and organic waste policies.

There is an attic. The entrance is above the top of the stairs down into the main room. It's locked. Talk to the #surplus-committee for access. Are there ghosts in there? Potentially.

Down the stairs from the front entrance you will find couches, a TV, a speaker system, the giant LED wall, and our front desk space. Sit back, chat with other members, and relax! This is a space to retreat from the chaos, socialize, unwind, and chill. There is a mini-fridge for drinks.

The metal desk at the bottom of the stairs contains a lot of important equipment and information, especially for new members.

• VHS Code of Conduct sign
• Waiver / sign-in sheets
• First aid kit
• Naloxone kit
• Fire extinguisher
• A telephone. The old fashioned kind that has to be plugged into the wall to work.
• The “Is VHS Open?” clock
• Fliers, buttons, etc.

VHS has a set of lockers used for community purposes. They are located on the east wall towards the front of the building, next to the couches.

• The first two lockers on the left side are used by the crafting area
• The top is a mini library for patterns and machine documentation
• The bottom locker stores a roll of pattern drafting paper for public use

• You can Donate cash directly to VHS, this will be used to fund the space
• The VHS Improvments locker
• This locker is for storing item donations used to improve the space. Items in here should not be used for personal projects.

Located near the front of the building is the crafting area consisting of two tables. The sewing desk against the wall, and the cutting table in the center.

Do not dump your junk on the cutting table.

• Status: Operational as of March 2019
• Training: Recommended
• Usage Restrictions: Anyone
• Creation Date: VHS Epoch
• Location: Center table near the Hangout at the front, and side desk
• Champion: see Compendium of Champions

While the crafting area may not hold VHS's most dangerous tools, it is always important to not underestimate the dangers of small tools. There are many sharp blades and needles in this space that must be looked after, as well as hot glue guns, irons and noxious chemicals.

• Always cap your blades when not in use. This reduces damage to both humans and blades.
• Do not leave pins and needles on the floor. They have the potential to puncture footwear and then you need a tetanus shot.
• Unplug machines you are not using, especially hot irons

The biggest way to maintain a safe environment is to maintain a clean environment. Please clean up and put away anything you are not using in its proper home.

• 3 sewing machines, 1 serger, 1 industrial sewing machine, 1 embroidery machine
• some number of irons + ironing boards
• Conair Steamer
• some dress forms
• Silkscreening Tools
• Button Maker
• Vinyl Cutter
• Overhead Projector

And a lot more!

The crafting area has a mini library in the lockers beside the desk, containing machine manuals and patterns, as well as other helpful books and inspiration.

-Document library contents here-

If there is a major break, contact Liz on the Compendium of Champions

Post on Slack in #sewing-and-more

The heart of VHS is the four large work tables in the middle of the main room. Please keep them clean!

For Spills, chills and thrills. Mostly spills.

This room is located just off the main room on your left as you come in from the front - along the west wall of the space.

This is an area for painting, airbrushing and doing messy work. Also, a storage space for paints and liquids. The paint room is governed by the paint and mess room committee. Any question regarding usage and training should be directed that way.

The laser cutter area is located just past the entrance to the paint and mess room, along the west wall of the space.

We have a 80W Co2 Laser Cutter. You'll need to acquire training before you use it. If there is a problem, contact the Laser Cutter Committee (LCC).

The big green box is the laser filter stack, and below that is laser materials storage.

VHS has a number of 3d printers, both filament and resin based. See the tools page for details. Resin printers live in the paint and mess room, while filament printers live along the east wall next to the main table.

Training or evidence of competency is required to use any of them. They are connected to a computer on the bench next to them. This computer is to be used only for 3D printing, and is available to anyone who has completed the 3D printer training course.

To schedule a training session or obtain the password, please contant the 3D printer group via Slack (#3d-printing) or Talk.

• Status: Organized as of July 1, 2014
• Training: Required
• Usage Restrictions: Trained members only
• Creation Date: VHS Epoch
• Location: East wall of the main room
• Champion: 3D Printer Work Group, also see Compendium of Champions.

• 3D printers run high temperature nozzles meant to melt plastic. Left unsupervised they could start a fire.
• 3D printers have moving mechanical parts which could injure someone while in motion. Keep your hands clear when in operation.
• 3D printers have big power supplies - 500w is common. Always unplug the printer after use and before attempting maintenance.

• 3D printer training guide

There are two electronics workbenches located at the back of the main room, by the entrance to the wood shop. Here you will find soldering irons, breadboards, oscilloscopes, and many electronics components.

• Electronics Parts Inventory (as of January 2021)

The wood shop is located at the back of the space, behind the large sliding door.

All dangerous tools are members only!

Where the wood CNC lives! Just on your right as you enter the wood shop. For training on the wood CNC, talk to the #cnc group on Slack.

• The back doors open up to the alley.
• Please keep the area just inside the doors, labelled DMZ, clear. Do NOT store stuff here.

Located off the wood shop area, the welding zone is mysterious and unknowable. Check out #welding on VHS slack, or go to https://talk.vanhack.ca/t/tour-requests-from-non-members/10837 to book a tour

• Miller MIG welder
• Horizontal bandsaws
• Steel welding table with vise
• Coal-fired Forge
• Bench shear (work in progress)

Located off the main room at the back-east side - the VHS machine shop is stocked with some dangerous and awesome machines.

• Manual lathe
• Manual mill
• Benchtop drill press
• Workbench with vise (work in progress)
• Three CNC mills

The Solidworks and Fusion 360 workstation is close at hand, as well as the shelves of hand tools.

As these power tools are potentially dangerous, specific training is required. Feel free to reach out to #machine-shop group on slack to arrange training.

Please keep the area clean and organized at all times as a cluttered or dirty workshop can be a safety hazard.

If you use the Metal Shop, it is your responsibility to clean up when you're done. We should all strive to leave the shop in a better state than you found it. This can be as simple as sweeping up debris that was missed before, or putting tools that you didn't use away, or the occasional “deep clean” that gets into the corners, and machines get a complete wipedown.

We're working hard to provide an excellent space for welding and machining; please do your part.

Located under the main entrance/kitchen - turn left at the bottom of the front stairs.

We have two washrooms in the space, the near washroom and the far washroom.

They are not restricted by gender.

Please replace toilet paper as it gets used, TP and towels can be found in the server room.

This room contains the IT infrastructure, and stuff to maintain the IT infrastructure at the space.

Servers:

• Server Rack
• Infrastructure Servers
• FPGA Cluster

Located off the lounge, enter via the door at the south end of the east wall.

This room is for deep storage and admin stuff. And spiders.