Phoenix Forge - Phoenix, Arizona

sam platten

this has been the most wonderful space and an impetus for inspiration for me and i am so grateful it exists! staff are all so helpful and everyone who i encounter with any kind of experience is glad to lend a hand.

Bob Blake

I wanted to scan and 3D print a matchbox car chassis. My library has a 3D scanner, but after two months of trying they were unable to adequately scan the car. Heather, a prototyping expert at the Phoenix Forge was able to scan the car and 3D print it in an afternoon. The Phoenix Forge facility is spacious, well-equipped and clean, and the experts in each area are very knowledgeable and helpful. On the downside, it is not actually a forge. If they would add lost-wax casting to their jewelry capabilities, this would be the perfect place for me to work on my various projects.

quetzalcueyatl

Fun friendly place. Went for a open meet night. Got to make a rubber stamp fold a copper airplane and stamped a Keychain pendant. Staff were awesome had nice conversation and were very welcoming.

Devilish Details

Fantastic place! Fantastic Staff!

If you have even an inkling of desire to explore a creative expression in some artistic domain or have a concept you’d like to prototype for a potential business, or just curious about learning a new skill for funsies, the amenities and staff at Phoenix Forge will help you greatly.

XFP Sales

Very nice place to do most anything you want to do in the way of a project. Very helpful staff, good equipment. Downside, parking is absolutely horrible. If it wasn't for the poor parking, I would have given them 5 stars.

Myrenda Ramirez

This place is amazing! I have learned a lot of new skills. I made a beautiful cutting board, learned to use a laser cutter, took a class on metal work, and so many more things to learn. The staff is so knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Such a fun place!

Kinh DeMaree

Love this place! I have learned all kinds of adulting skills I wish I had the first 3 decades of my life like learning how to sew, make jewelry, use a saw, etc. Even though I was always the most novice in my class, they met me at my level and it wasn’t intimidating. Pictured here is a ring I was making in class (supplies and material are included)

Ethan Weiss

If you are an experienced woodworker, this place will be extremely frustrating. If you're a brand new woodworker, it will be an excellent place to learn.

The rules in the wood shop are onerous. When operating the router table, for example, you aren't allowed to raise or lower the bit (let alone change it). You need the shop tech to come over and move it for you. They are dogmatic about the number of inches your hand can be from a blade; I had my hand roughly 5 inches from the miter saw blade, and the shop tech came over and told me it needed to be to the lines on the saw (roughly 8").

At all moments I felt like I was being watched, and when you're operating a power tool, the last thing you need is your mind occupied with something other than your cut.

Again, if you're a beginner, this is an excellent space for you. Tools are high quality and well maintained.

Other reviewers have mentioned the orientation issues. They are staffed to the gills, and most of the time the woodworking techs are just sitting around or working on their own projects, but upon signing up, I couldn't get a wood shop orientation for nearly two weeks. And that orientation was $50, yet as I mentioned, something as basic as raising the router table bit was still permanently off limits.

You are also required to "book" your wood shop hours 24 hours in advance. If you've been woodworking a while, you know that sometimes you just need to bop in to mill an additional board, or do roundovers or sand a piece. But you can't do that - you need to book in advance, even while the shop is generally rather empty (there are often more wood shop staffers in the wood shop than members).

I get it. I came from a makerspace with arguably too few rules. People can get hurt or break equipment if they don't know what they're doing. But the rules here are too much. Teaching someone to use a router table means teaching them to raise and lower the bit on their own! There needs to be a Goldilocks solution, and Forge hasn't found it yet.