Tools on a name, filament on a minimum.
For member-run makerspaces and school or university fab labs, where the tool wall, the 3D printers and the materials shelf are shared by everyone and owned by a few.
| Item | Location | Qty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigol DS1054Z oscilloscope IT-000701 | Electronics bench / Test gear | 1 | Priya N. · due Thu |
| PLA filament, black, 1 kg IT-000712 | 3D print corner / Filament shelf | 2 spools | Low · min 3 |
| Birch plywood 3 mm, 600 × 400 IT-000720 | Wood and laser / Sheet stock rack | 34 sheets | In stock |
| Laser cutter, 60 W CO2 IT-000731 | Wood and laser / Machines | 1 | Lens clean due |
| Hakko FX-888D soldering station IT-000744 | Electronics bench | 1 | Available |
Sound familiar?
The tool wall has outlines for the tools that are missing. The good soldering iron lives in someone's locker. Filament, birch ply and acrylic run out on a Tuesday evening, and the volunteer who orders on Fridays hears about it next month. The laser cutter's lens was due a clean in March.
Make, take, top up.
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Members take what they need
At the kiosk tablet by the tool wall, a member picks their name, scans the label on the oscilloscope and taps Take it. It's on their name until they scan it back.
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Materials leave with a name
A member scans the spool and takes 1, or a sheet of 3 mm ply. The stock drops, the logbook says who used it, and the burn report shows what each project area costs.
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The shelf warns before it's empty
When black PLA drops below 3 spools, it turns amber and the materials volunteer gets one alert. The reorder sheet lists everything under minimum, with amounts.
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Machines get their checks
The laser cutter's lens clean, the CNC's spindle service and the PAT tests are scheduled on each machine. Today shows what's due.
How it looks in ItemTally.
Folders are the real places makerspaces, hackerspaces and school fab labs keep things. Every take, return, count and move becomes a dated line with a name on it, and lines are never edited.
Your workspace
- Tool wallHand tools, kiosk here
- Electronics bench
- Test gear
- Components drawers
- 3D print corner
- Printers
- Filament shelf
- Wood and laser
- Sheet stock rack
- Machines
- Members' loan cupboardApproval on
What does the work in a shared workshop.
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Consumables
Filament, sheet stock, solder and blades with minimums, a burn report and one reorder list for whoever buys.
How it works → -
Self-service and kiosk
A tablet by the tool wall where members take and return with a scan. Approval on the loan cupboard for things that leave the building.
How it works → -
Maintenance dates
Lens cleans, belt checks and PAT tests on each machine, with the service history on its record.
How it works → -
Stock counts
Count the materials rack once a month by scanning its shelf label, and see only what's different.
How it works →
No membership billing, machine booking by the hour or material sales. ItemTally doesn't charge members for materials, run memberships or schedule laser time slots. If you sell materials at cost, record the take here and bill in your membership tool.
The questions makerspaces ask.
Members won't log every spool.
Taking one is a scan and a number at the kiosk, about as fast as walking past. The count every month catches the rest, and the difference posts as its own line, so you can see how much goes unrecorded.
Can members take tools home?
Put the take-home tools in a folder with approval on. A member's request lands on Today and a volunteer approves it with a due date.
How do we price this for a member-run space?
Each member who takes things themselves is a borrower. Shelf (free) includes 10, Stockroom (€19/mo) 50, Warehouse (€49/mo) unlimited. Items are never counted, so a big materials list costs nothing extra.
Can I track filament by weight?
Each item has its own unit. Track spools, or grams if you weigh them. Most spaces count spools, because it's what members can scan and take.
Can we book the laser cutter?
You can reserve it for a day or a window like any item, and clashes are refused. ItemTally isn't a per-hour machine booking calendar, though, so busy spaces often keep a booking tool for machine time.
What about school and university fab labs?
The same setup works. Students get a My things link instead of an account, and room keys scope a teacher or technician to their lab.
Label the tool wall at the next open night.
Free forever for one editor and ten borrowers. No card.
Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card needed.