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For a town so tied to garages and prototypes, Palo Alto has surprisingly few places where an ordinary resident can walk in and use a laser cutter. TechShop, the membership workshop chain that started in Menlo Park, closed all its U.S. shops in late 2017. Since then the gap has been filled in smaller pieces. A free makerspace at Cubberley is run by high school mentors. The city library digitizes old tapes and slides for free. The Adult School still teaches woodturning in the Paly woodshop. For heavy tools and long hours, most local makers now drive to a big nonprofit shop in Sunnyvale.
This guide lists the spaces we confirmed on their own sites in early November 2026. It starts in Palo Alto and then covers nearby towns, which we name for each entry. Open hours at volunteer-run spaces change often, so check before you load the car with plywood.
Maker spaces at a glance
| Space | Where | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MakeX | Cubberley Community Center, Palo Alto | Free | Teens, families, 3D printing and laser cutting |
| Vintage Media Lab | Mitchell Park and Rinconada libraries | Free | Digitizing photos, slides, video and audio |
| Palo Alto Adult School woodshop | Palo Alto High School | Per class | Woodworking and woodturning with an instructor |
| Maker Nexus | Sunnyvale | Monthly membership | Wood, metal, welding, lasers, textiles |
| Hacker Dojo | Santa Clara | Monthly membership | Software, hardware tinkering, meetups |
MakeX: the free makerspace at Cubberley
MakeX calls itself the nation's first teen-founded, teen-run, free-access community makerspace. It sits in Room V2 at Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road. The City of Palo Alto funds and supports it and student mentors manage the website with city staff. The space lists laser cutters, 3D printers, power tools, hand tools and building materials.
Hours and rules
In early November 2026 the MakeX site listed open hours on Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Treat those as a starting point and confirm before you go, since a teen-staffed space follows the school calendar. The posted rules are short:
- Everyone fills out a waiver before using the space.
- Children under 12 must come with a parent or guardian. MakeX recommends against use by children under 8.
- Power and hand tools are free to use.
- 3D prints run first come, first served. Mentors will not start a print for you remotely, so you need to be there.
- No weapons and no mass production.
Adults are welcome, but the feel is a youth club with mentors who are themselves high school students. In summer the city's teen services have run MakeX project camps at Cubberley. Our teens guide covers the other teen centers.
Library labs: the Vintage Media Lab
The Palo Alto City Library does not run a workshop with saws or laser cutters. What it does offer is a well-used digitizing lab. The Vintage Media Lab is a free, do-it-yourself service for turning old photos, slides, home video and audio into digital files. It began at Mitchell Park Library and opened a second lab at Rinconada Library in May 2026, with the same equipment except a MiniDV camera that the library said was coming soon.
- Appointments are two hours long and limited to one a week per person. Back-to-back bookings are not allowed.
- Booking opens on the first Monday of each month for the following month, a system the library adopted in January 2026.
- Bring a laptop with any software installed ahead of time. The library prefers SD and microSD cards over USB drives.
Book through the library's technology page. You need a library card, which our library card guide explains. The library also lends Chromebooks and other tech and runs drop-in help sessions in its ReBoot Room.
Woodshop classes at the Adult School
If you want a teacher beside you and a real shop, the Palo Alto Adult School runs woodworking classes in the Palo Alto High School woodshop. The fall 2026 catalog listed general woodworking for up to 15 students and woodturning classes capped at 6.
- Introduction to the Lathe is a single three-hour session at $70. You learn lathe safety and turn a rolling pin. A December 6 date was listed.
- Introduction to Pens is another one-session class at $70, with a December 8 date listed.
- Woodturning 1 is a multi-week course at $280 that covers spindle work such as mallets, muddlers and bud vases.
The Adult School is open to anyone 18 or older and posts a new catalog each term. Small classes fill fast, so register as soon as the winter list appears.
Studios at the Palo Alto Art Center
The Palo Alto Art Center on Newell Road has well-equipped studios for ceramics, jewelry and metalsmithing, printmaking and fiber arts. They are tied to classes rather than open membership. Ceramics students, for example, can buy studio passes only while enrolled in a current class. For clay, see our pottery and ceramics guide.
Maker Nexus, Sunnyvale
The closest full-scale membership workshop is Maker Nexus at 1330 Orleans Drive in Sunnyvale, near Highway 237 and Caribbean Drive. It is a nonprofit with about 28,000 square feet of space and is open to members seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It lists woodworking, machining, welding, laser cutters, textiles, 3D printers, electronics, jewelry and glass working.
Memberships listed in November 2026
| Plan | Monthly price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Hobbyist | $160 | Full shop access, including wood, welding, machine shop and lasers |
| Family Hobbyist | $210 for two | Two household members, more at $50 each |
| Education | $100 | Full-time students and K to 12 teachers |
| Limited | $75 | 3D printers, sewing studio, electronics lab and clean space |
Members must take safety classes before using most tools, at a 30% discount. Members 16 and up can join on their own and family add-ons can start at 10 with restrictions. Tours run daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Maker Nexus also teaches youth classes and camps for ages 6 to 18 and holds a Holiday Maker Market on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. See the Maker Nexus site for class dates.
Hacker Dojo, Santa Clara
Hacker Dojo is the area's long-running hackerspace, a member-supported club for software and hardware tinkerers. In October 2026 it moved to an 11,000 square foot space at 3200 Patrick Henry Drive in Santa Clara. Members get 24/7 access with a digital key, shared and quiet work areas, meeting rooms and maker labs, plus talks, hackathons and workshops. Its pricing page showed a standard plan in the range of $150 to $180 a month with student and veteran discounts. Check the Hacker Dojo site for current rates and tour times. Founders who mainly need a desk should also see our coworking guide.
Fix it instead: Repair Cafe
Not every project starts from scratch. Volunteers at Repair Cafe Silicon Valley fix lamps, small appliances, clothing and bikes for free at sessions around the area. The next Palo Alto session is Sunday, November 8, 2026, at the Museum of American Heritage. Our repair and reuse guide has details.
Choosing the right space
- Start free. If you only need a 3D print or a laser-cut sign, try MakeX first.
- Take one class. A single woodturning or laser class tells you whether a monthly membership is worth it.
- Count the drive. Sunnyvale and Santa Clara are 20 to 30 minutes away at rush hour. A membership only pays off if you go weekly.
- Ask about storage. Membership shops often charge extra for project shelves or bins.
Good to know
- Wear closed-toe shoes and tie back long hair in any shop.
- Most shops require their own safety class even if you have used a tool elsewhere.
- Bring your own materials unless a class lists them as included.
- Membership shops bill monthly, so pick a start date when you know you will have free evenings.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free makerspace in Palo Alto?
Yes. MakeX at Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Room V2, is a free community makerspace funded by the City of Palo Alto and run by teen mentors. Its site lists open hours on Friday afternoons and Saturday late mornings. Everyone signs a waiver and children under 12 need a parent or guardian with them.
Does the Palo Alto library have a makerspace?
The library does not run a general workshop with saws or laser cutters. Its maker-style service is the Vintage Media Lab, a free lab for digitizing photos, slides, home video and audio. It opened at Mitchell Park Library and added a second lab at Rinconada Library in May 2026. Appointments are two hours and limited to one a week.
What happened to TechShop?
TechShop, the membership workshop chain that began in Menlo Park, closed all of its U.S. locations in late 2017 when the company shut down. The closest large membership shop today is Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale, a nonprofit with about 28,000 square feet of tools.
How much does Maker Nexus cost?
In November 2026 Maker Nexus listed a Hobbyist membership with full shop access at $160 a month and a Limited membership at $75 a month for 3D printers, sewing, electronics and other basic tools. Students and K to 12 teachers can join for $100 a month. Safety classes are required before you use most tools and members get 30% off them.
Where can I use a laser cutter near Palo Alto?
MakeX in Palo Alto lists laser cutters and 3D printers, staffed by teen mentors during open hours. Maker Nexus in Sunnyvale has 100 watt and 45 watt laser cutters for members who finish its training class. Hacker Dojo in Santa Clara also has maker labs for members.