General Guidelines

The best way to get a feel for denhac is definitely to come visit us! Open house is every Tuesday night from 8-11pm. Stop by, get a tour, learn about our community, check out all the equipment we have available, and meet some members. We have 3d printers, welders, a full woodshop, and lots of other fun goodies for makers of all types. Open house is also a great time for new members to meet with a manager or board member for an ID check and to receive a keycard that will grant 24/7 access to the space.

Check out our contact page for directions, a parking map, or if you’d like to get in touch for any reason.

This hackerspace belongs to YOU. Improvements, participation, and community projects are welcome and encouraged.
Don’t set the space on fire.
Ask questions and share knowledge.
denhac is alcohol and drug free.
Please do not take tools home with you.
Our hackerspace is open 24/7. You’re welcome to come and go at all hours, but no living/sleeping at the space or in the parking lot.
Put your name on your stuff, no exceptions! Unlabeled materials and equipment are fair game. If you want to claim an item for a project, put your name on it and store in a plastic bin in member storage. If your name isn’t on it, there’s a good chance it will become quickly repurposed. We’ve got plenty of tape, markers, label makers, etc., so please ask if you can’t find what you need.
Some tools require sign off before you’re allowed to use them (see their respective wiki page for details). Always ask if you’re not sure how to properly use any tool. Wear the appropriate protective gear for the task you are performing.
Guests are allowed to hang out at denhac anytime you’re in the space with them. You’re responsible for your guests. Guests are not allowed to use tools without first becoming a member.
Members have access to denhac’s slack after signing up and being issued a building key after their id check. All areas have a slack channel prefixed with “#help-”. Use these channels to ask questions, post when a consumable is running low, and any safety incidents.

Calendar

For now, use the following link to access our events calendar. Events on meetup are mostly our public facing events. Tool safety trainings are for members only and typically posted in their respective “#help-” area slack channel. Members at denhac are encouraged to teach and host events out of the space! For example teach a class on a raspberry pi project, how to rebuild a bike, or host a weekly coding meetup. Make a post in #events coordinate scheduling and we can help get the word out.

https://meetup.com/denhac-hackerspace

Resources & Equipment

Browse the wiki for a mostly up to date list of the tools and equipment available. Some tools require training before use.

A short list of major technical and physical resources are:

CO2 Laser Cutters
CNC
3D Printers (Prusas)
Woodworking
Electronics workstation
Metal working including welding and forging
Textiles, sewing, and embroidery
Bicycle and Automotive area
A ton of other stuff

There are tons of other devices and resources available to members which are not included in this list. Want a tool we don’t have? Talk to the community and propose we buy one with our collective funds at a board meeting.

Don’t use equipment for which you are not trained. If you want to learn, ask! Look for “training required” signs on tools which typically also include a link to the wiki page and the training requirements. Training requirements vary for each tool and range from “read some stuff and watch a quick video” to “schedule a time to meet up with another member who will teach and authorize you before you are allowed to use the tool”. denhac’s mission is education. All of our tool trainings are taught by other members who are volunteering their time with the hopes that you pay it forward. Help improve something at denhac, lend another member a hand on their project, hold a class and teach something you know. Talk to another trainer on a tool once you get experienced if you want to help out with classes.

The Board

The Board of Directors meets monthly to discuss policy and to set general direction for the space, currently on the first Tuesday of every month. All members are encouraged to attend and give feedback during discussions, but only Board members get to vote. Members become eligible to run for Board seats after three months of membership in good standing.

Board Members

The list of current board members, as well as an overview of the function of the Board of Directors, can be found on our wiki here.

Managers

denhac’s board appoints three managers who make the day-to-day decisions between board meetings. Depending on what you need, they are a great place to start:

Business Manager

Director of External Affairs
biz@denhac.org
Bother for: pointy-haired-boss business stuff; legal-ese translation services; any interface with external organizations; general organization management

Operations Manager

Director of Internal Affairs
ops@denhac.org
Bother for: general space operations; tools and equipment; breaking nice things

Treasurer

Director of The Money
treasurer@denhac.org
Bother for: paying dues, spending our $, reimbursements, tax donation letters

Admins

There are a few things for which denhac has designated people to maintain and train people on. If you need access to a specific piece of equipment (i.e. the 3d printers, or a test VM on the cluster) these are people who can help you.

Justin Nesselrotte – jnesselr@denhac.org

3D printers

Krav – kravlin@denhac.org

Networking
Cluster/VM stuffs

Eddie Zaneski

Networking

These people are singled out as places to start looking for information to use equipment here. They are also an excellent starting point to find people with specific knowledge you may need to complete your project.

Alcohol/Substances Policy

Alcohol and all illegal drugs are prohibited from being consumed on any of ours or our landlord’s property. Marijuana is prohibited from being consumed on the property, regardless of one’s medical card status or individual compliance with state/local law. Tobacco and electronic cigarettes are allowed outdoors, more than 20 feet away from all entrances/exits to the building.

Specific exceptions regarding alcohol may be made at the discretion of the Board. Exceptions will be clearly posted both in the space and on the member’s list, when applicable.

Safety

All members should remain aware of the following points at all times:

Know where the fire extinguishers are located
Do not stack anything so tall that it creates a falling hazard
Do not create open flames indoors
Keep all walkways and doorways clear at all times
Report any possible safety issues to ops@denhac.org, with subject line “SAFETY”

Mailing Lists

There are two mailing lists that we use. A members-only list that we’ll add you to, and a “friends of denhac” list that you’ll have to sign up for yourself (stupid technical reasons).

Public mailing list – denhac@denhac.org
Friends of denhac mailing list – members@denhac.org

Member Storage

Don’t leave your stuff laying around denhac. See the member storage wiki page for full details and guidelines on where to put your stuff.

Lost & Found

Any personal or project items that are left unattended at a station may be moved to the Lost & Found box by the next member attempting to use that space. During a Hack DENHAC Day, all unlabeled/unclaimed items from around the space are moved to the Lost & Found.

At the beginning of the next Hack DENHAC Day, the Lost & Found is emptied, and the items are either thrown away or returned to the “to hack” shelves, as appropriate.

Donating to denhac

Equipment donations are great, but please ask us if we want it before hauling it in. If it’s old and useless to you, it’s likely old and useless to us. Please check with the Operations Manager before donating any item to the space to make sure we can use it before just dropping it off. We are able to assist in recycling certain items, but not all: please check with us first.

Cash and non-cash donations are tax-deductible. denhac is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

Shared Space & Cleaning

It is everyone’s shared responsibility to keep our space clean and tidy. denhac has no permanent staff. We are entirely volunteer-run, and we do not pay for janitorial services to come in and clean up the space.

This means everyone needs to try to leave the space a little cleaner you found it. Before anyone leaves, check the trash cans – if they are full, empty them to the dumpster in the side alley. If trash is left out on the main work table, take a few seconds to pick up a few pieces on your way out.

We will periodically host Hack-the-Space days to turn a chore into a more tolerable and fun group effort. Usually with food.

Parking

The parking lot is shared with all tenants of the building. See the parking map. Don’t leave your car and no overnight parking is allowed.

Before you leave the space

Tidy your workspace, stow ongoing projects, and put tools back where they belong.
Turn off/unplug things that could burn down the space
Trash full or stinky? Take it out
Turn off the lights
Lock up!

Behavior Policy

THE SHORT VERSION

Don’t be a dick.

THE LONGER VERSION

Be excellent to each other. Follow the Golden Rule: if you wouldn’t like something said or done to you, refrain from saying or doing that something to someone else. This goes for all possible forms of communication.

Any two members can ask another member to cease a task out of safety concerns. What is a “safety concern” (besides the easy cases, like setting fire to the space)? Anything that makes at least two other members feel unsafe.

Show respect for one another.

Really though, don’t set fire to the space.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T

denhac reserves the right to terminate any membership at any time for any reason, but we strive for the process to be as fair and open as privacy and discretion allow us to be. Upon breaching of the Rules, the following actions may be performed in any order:

The member will get a verbal warning from a Director or a Manager.
The member will be called before the Board to explain and/or discuss the behavior in question, usually within Executive Session.
The member will receive a formal Warning, via letter or email, signed by a Director or Manager.
The Member will be put on probation.
Membership will be suspended for a length of time.
Membership will be terminated.

Note that some offenses – such as non-payment of dues, or setting fire to the space – can trigger automatic membership suspension or termination, without a formal review by the Board.

Payment Policy

Dues shall be paid via the denhac.org website by purchasing a Membership and saving a payment method to your account. Financial donations may be paid via PayPal to treasurer@denhac.org or via credit card (Stripe) at https://denhac.org/product/donate.

Member Dues (per month):

Student (valid Student ID required)/Senior Citizen Membership – $22.50
Standard Membership – $45
Household (up to 4 people at the same address) – $67.50

Harassment Policy

Be excellent to each other. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. In addition to the denhac Golden Rule, “Don’t be a dick,” all members are also bound by the building’s harassment policy, located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L2daNFExBfH1GKF6XsgZjuOhM4I3FZGKVKqoSdvgfpQ/edit

Access & Security Policy

All members of denhac in good standing will receive a keycard allowing 24/7 access to our space. This does NOT grant the member access to the entire building which is shared with other tenants. After hours, we are only allowed to be in our own space, or through our landlord’s space to use the bathrooms. NO other access is allowed without explicit manager or board approval.

In addition, all members are bound by our landlord’s access policy, located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uzkxEJMGAB3CCRH2mfw3SVYdHDRxSLPlYGfWUI8JRMc/edit?usp=gmail

Mail & Package Policy

No person is allowed to receive mail or packages at the space, unless it is equipment that is to be used by the space, for the space.

Refrigerator Guidelines

The denhac refrigerator is intended for the short-term storage of food only. Ideally food should be taken with you when you leave the space. Follow standard office fridge etiquette. Label your food with your name and the date. Food without a name on it is considered communal property. Old/gross food may be thrown out by others.

Network Policy

The denhac network exists for the benefit of the space, not for individual members. Do not do anything on the denhac network that invites unwanted attention, or risks us losing our connection.

Prohibited activities include but are not limited to the following:

Intrusions outside of practice zone / playground
Open bit-torrenting of copyrighted material
Causing any DMCA violation, really

Violation of the network policy is grounds for immediate loss of membership.

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