Zero to Maker

Chapter 4. Access to Tools

My preconceived notion of makers wasn’t limited to the people I had imagined: the mad-scientist, MacGyver-types. I also had preconceptions about the places where making happened. I envisioned elaborate workshops and laboratories; private places such as garages and basements, filled with tools, contraptions, and works-in-progress. All of the profiles I read and makers I had met reinforced that mental image. They all had incredible workshops, each customized to their specific flavor of creation.

I didn’t have that type of workshop. In fact, having taken residence on a sailboat in San Francisco Bay, I didn’t have much of anything. No workspace or tools, except for a few wrenches and screwdrivers for basic boat maintenance. ...