Welcome to Kwartzlab
A not for profit maker society in the Waterloo Region, providing tools, community connections and learning opportunities for makers in our area. Our members include self driven learners, long time enthusiasts, artists, advocates for maker culture and owners of maker-themed businesses.
A sample of our tools...
We have 3D printers, electronics workbenches, and more!

Laser Cutting

Our laser cutter features a 2×3 ft. bed and is capable of cutting a range of materials, including plywood, acrylic, cardboard and fabric, into custom shapes.

Metal Shop

The Dedicated Metal shop Area includes working tools such as a Bridgeport mill, metal lathe, drill press, CNC mill (Training Documents Pending), welding equipment, and more!

Wood Shop

Our Dedicated wood shop includes working tools such as the jointer, planer, lathe, mitre saw, table saw, bandsaw, drill press, and a CNC router with a 4×4 ft. cutting bed.

Electronics Area

The Electronics Area has everything you need to finish that never ending electronics project. Includes hot air rework station, reflow oven, battery spot welder, soldering stations, benchtop power supply, oscilloscopes, and more!

Textiles Area

Have a sewing project? With  a selection of a 36″ floor loom, 45″ floor loom, Singer and Pfaff sewing machines, an embroidery machine, sergers, and knitting machines, the textiles area has the tools to make work easy, and the results are awesome!

Which Craft?

The newly relocated/renamed WhichCraft? contains 3D printers, a clicker press, and much more.

Want to Learn More?

Open to the Public Every Tuesday Night

Meet awesome makers and tour our facilities. We are open to the public every Tuesday evening from 7-10pm. Come visit us at:

145 Bedford Rd., Kitchener, ON Canada N2G 3A3

Members have access to our facilities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Scroll down to learn more about becoming a member.

Becoming a Member

Why Become a Member?

  • Do you need regular access to tools, equipment, and a space to work?
  • Are you capable of working in a shared space in a respectful manner and following the rules that govern that space?
  • Kwartzlab employs no staff, and is 100% operated by the voluntary contributions of members. Can you contribute an hour or two of time and effort monthly to help maintain our shared facilities and build our community?
  • Finally, as a majority of Kwartzlab’s operations are funded by membership dues, are you able to pay our monthly membership fee ($59+HST)?

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, we would love for you to join us!

To get started, come to one or two Tuesday Open Nights to view our facilities and speak to some of our members. Feel free to bring a project to show off or get advice about.

Once you decide to join, you just need to talk to a member during Tuesday Open Night. We will interview you, explain the rules and ask you to agree to them, photograph you, and post your membership application to the internal mailing list. There is a 5 day waiting period during which members can comment on your membership application. Then you will be invited to become a member. You’ll need to set up online payments for your membership dues, and pay your first month dues ($59+HST). Then we will give you a key card, and you can come in any time you want (24 hour access).

Important Information for Members

  1. Read through the Kwartzlab Policies and Procedures Manual, so you’ll know what to expect once you join. Please note you will have four weeks to start your payments, once accepted as a member.
  2. Read through our code of conduct, so you’ll have a sense of how we come together as a community. Reading the Code of Conduct is a requirement before the interview process.
  3. Membership costs $66.67 per month ($59+HST). You are encouraged to set up automatic monthly payments, usually through your bank or PayPal.
  4. There is short-term storage available for works in progress, and affordable paid long term storage space is available for rent.
  5. Commercial activity is allowed. Some members are artists and artisans who create projects on commission for clients using Kwartzlab facilities; others are small business owners who do occasional prototyping at the lab. What’s not allowed is mass production, taking over floor space or bench space for long term personal projects, and in general hogging the facilities to the detriment of other members.
  6. If you want to socialize, Tuesday Open Night is our main social night. There are also workshops, parties, and public events you can volunteer for.
  7. If you just want to get work done, Kwartzlab is not crowded outside of scheduled events, and we have had little need for tool sign-up sheets.
  8. Kwartzlab is a democracy. We do much of our communication via a members-only mailing list. There are also Slack channels for discussions of special topics.
  9. Kwartzlab is a do-ocracy. We are a volunteer run organization, and things only get done when somebody steps up to do them. And that’s how you earn respect in our organization. The people doing the work have the greatest say in how it gets done.

Once you have been accepted as a member, please visit our Membership Dues page to learn about payment options.

Governance
Seven directors are elected each year at the Annual General Meeting, and serve for a term of 1 year, beginning July 1. The Executive Office is appointed by the Board.

Konstantin Papadakis

President

Catherine Dennis

Chair

Scott Calway

Treasurer

Sarah Jones

Director

Laura Schuhbauer

Membership Coordinator

Michelle Stevens

Assistant Treasurer

Julianna

Secretary

Procedures, Bylaws, and Code of Conduct

Thank you to those who helped us get started.

Kwartzlab Supporters 2010-2014

Thank you to those who help us continue to grow.

Kwartzlab Supporters 2015-2019

Thank you to those who help us continue to grow.

Kwartzlab Supporters 2020-2021

Contact Us

PLEASE NOTE:  Interviews are available and new members are being accepted.  We are throttling the number of interviews and tours in the interest of our members safety.  We do hope to see you soon!  As always, you can find a video tour on YouTube in the mean time (click here). Thank you for your patience and understanding. Happy making!

Please use this form to send us any questions you might have about the Kwartzlab community or the makerspace that are not answered on the website; please also feel free to send us any comments or suggestions you might have!

Our Sponsors
KWAwesome Founcation
Donate

Want to contribute? We accept donations of cash, tools and materials. To donate using PayPal, click the button below. For tool and material donations, please fill out our contact form.