VOG Makerspace

VOG Makerspace The Official page for Vale of Glamorgan Makerspaces.

Please send any enquiries to [email protected], our emails are monitored regularly from Monday - Friday.

Day 5 - For his most recent project, Mike has Laser Cut White, Black and Clear Acrylic to create this sign for his son’...
26/08/2026

Day 5 - For his most recent project, Mike has Laser Cut White, Black and Clear Acrylic to create this sign for his son’s new business Black Sheep Campers

If you have been inspired by Mike’s projects why not pop us an email at [email protected] to find out what you could make at Barry and Penarth Makerspaces.

Has Mike inspired you to try something new? Let us know in the comments below 👇

Day 4 - This gorgeous piece is a decorative wall hanging designed by Mike as a gift to himself.He has taken inspiration ...
25/08/2026

Day 4 - This gorgeous piece is a decorative wall hanging designed by Mike as a gift to himself.

He has taken inspiration from Celtic knot designs and used Engraving and Cutting techniques to Laser Cut this piece in several parts.

Mike has finished the piece with paint and stain.

Day 3 - 3D Printing and Bronze Casting Mike’s making skills, as we have seen, go beyond simply 3D Printing and Laser Cut...
24/08/2026

Day 3 - 3D Printing and Bronze Casting

Mike’s making skills, as we have seen, go beyond simply 3D Printing and Laser Cutting.

For this project there was some 3D Printing to create a design that would later be turned into a mould for bronze casting.

Mike attended a course outside of the Makerspace to learn how to cast in bronze.
He was then able to create a custom casting set up in his own back garden.

With 3D Printing and Bronze Casting combined, another project was complete!

Day 2 - A Laser Cut clock. There is no project that phases Mike and you can always be sure that whatever he decides to m...
23/08/2026

Day 2 - A Laser Cut clock.

There is no project that phases Mike and you can always be sure that whatever he decides to make, it will be finished beautifully.

This time (no pun intended) he was tasked with creating clocks for two long standing members of his Rifle Club.
As always, Mike did a fantastic job of creating the designs at home ready to be laser cut in the Makerspace.

The base of the clocks were laser cut and engraved into plywood.

The face of the clock was a fun design to play with as Mike had brought along some dual-coloured acrylic. This looked just like a sheet of black acrylic, but laser engraving revealed the white acrylic underneath. The contrast of the white against the black became clearer after Mike had cleaned up the clock face.

Stay tuned for week 3 for some behind the scenes bronze casting from a 3D Print!

Day 1 - Always expect the unexpected with Mike. Mike came into one of our appointments with a sword that he had cast in...
22/08/2026

Day 1 - Always expect the unexpected with Mike.

Mike came into one of our appointments with a sword that he had cast in bronze, as you normally do of course.

This was an excellent day for our Makerspace Technician and our Librarian Kat who can be seen modelling the Sword and Shield in pictures 1 & 2.

Mike Laser Cut the main body of the shield from plywood and created the beautiful design that was Engraved onto the front. We also Laser Cut the leather sheath used to contain the sword as it was the quickest and easiest way to add the holes required for Mike to stitch the sheath together (pictures 4 & 5).

It is always a joy to find out what Mike will want to make next. Stay tuned for day 2’s project!

🎨Maker of the Month: Mike To round off the month, over the next 5 days we will be sharing just a few of the fantastic pr...
21/08/2026

🎨Maker of the Month: Mike

To round off the month, over the next 5 days we will be sharing just a few of the fantastic projects created by one of our very lovely and talented Makers - Mike

Keep your eyes peeled for:

🛡️A custom Laser Cut Shield
⏰A personalised Laser Cut Clock
🎨A Bronze Cast pattern created from a 3D Print
🎨A Celtic inspired Wall Hanging
🎨And a custom-made sign for his son’s new business!

How Mike uses the Makerspace:

Mike has mostly used our Makerspace for laser cutting designs in MDF, Plywood, Acrylic and even engraving on slate!

At the start of Mike’s time in the Makerspace, we also did quite a bit of 3D printing. However, Mike has now built up the skills and confidence to take the plunge and invest in his own 3D Printer and continues to create fantastic designs for himself and his family.

As well as designing 2D projects Mike has also experimented with designs that have moving parts such as motorised “Nautilus Gears”. This was a wedding gift!! He is also not afraid to work on a large scale as for a past project he created a “Family Tree Clock”! We will revisit these designs in a future Makerspace Archive series.

We think Mike and his projects are amazing!

If you would like to develop your Digital Fabrication skills, pop us an email to find out more about our Makerspaces and the facilities that we offer - [email protected]

“At first this was just another absorbing but laborious restoration project. I have always enjoyed restoring old things,...
17/08/2026

“At first this was just another absorbing but laborious restoration project. I have always enjoyed restoring old things, as well as designing and making new ones.

Classic motorcycles are a particular joy as they burst back into glorious life when you finish. But after 55 years many parts are no longer available so have to be made. And it is not quick or easy to make the tooling for these parts to the tolerances required.

After attending the excellent 3D Design and Print course with Chloe at Barry Library’s Makerspace, I quickly realised the huge potential benefits for this work.

3D printing allows me to rapidly design, develop, test and improve highly accurate parts to a standard I could never achieve by hand.

The next version of the Air Filter Guide will be a massive step forward as a result. And the time saved will let me get started on the next project!”

Thanks Neil for such wonderful feedback of our new 3D Printer Course. Neil attended the pilot sessions for our new 3D Printer Course and has made fantastic progress with his motorbike project since.

Well done Neil, we look forward to seeing more amazing projects from you soon!

14/08/2026

🦫We had so much fun testing out our new BeaverBots during one of our Imagination Station sessions!

🎭The children learned about different types of masks, with a special focus on African masks, before being challenged to create a mask of their own.

🎨We provided templates and pre-cut shapes to help them get started, but we were delighted to see so many children set these aside and let their creativity shine by designing their own unique masks from scratch.

🫶Thank you to everyone who helped us test out our BeaverBots.

👩‍💻If your child would like to try one of our BeaverBots, they’ll be back in action at:

📍Penarth Pier Pavilion
🗓️Wednesday 19th August
⏰10:00 - 12:00

📚For our Phantom of the Pavilion collaborative storytelling and craft event!

🎟️You can book your place using the Linktree in our bio – we’d love to see you there! 🎭🤖✨

🎨Love crafting, designing, or trying new creative hobbies?Discover what’s possible with the Cricut Maker 3 in our beginn...
11/08/2026

🎨Love crafting, designing, or trying new creative hobbies?

Discover what’s possible with the Cricut Maker 3 in our beginner-friendly 6-week course.

You’ll learn how to create your own designs, personalise projects using heat transfer vinyl, and confidently use a Cricut machine on your own.

🎨 Design
✂️ Create
💡 Discover

Join us at Barry Library Makerspace and start your creative journey.

📅 Tuesdays | 10am–12pm
Tuesday 8th September - Tuesday 13th October
📍 Barry Library Makerspace
£75 per person
(Full 6‑week programme, all equipment provided)

Use the Linktree link in our bio to reserve your place!

Tag a friend who would love to learn a new creative skill! 👇 😊

MakersGonnaMake CommunityLearning

🤔Ever wondered how objects are made on a 3D printer?Join our beginner-friendly 5-week 3D Printing Course at Barry Librar...
11/08/2026

🤔Ever wondered how objects are made on a 3D printer?

Join our beginner-friendly 5-week 3D Printing Course at Barry Library Makerspace and learn how to:

✅ Find and create designs for free
✅ “Slice” models for printing
✅ Use a 3D printer independently

Whether you’re completely new to 3D printing or simply curious about the technology, this hands-on course will help you build confidence and develop new skills in a supportive environment.

📍 Barry Library Makerspace
📅 Every Thursday | 10:00am–12:00pm
Thursday 10th September - Thursday 8th October
🎓 Tutor: Chloe Hunt
£75 per person
(Full 5‑week programme, all equipment provided)

Use the Linktree link in our bio to reserve your place!

Tag a friend who would love to learn a new creative skill! 👇 😊

ValeOfGlamorgan CreativeTechnology CommunityLearning

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County Library, King Square
Barry
CF63 4RW

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