ADX

I came out of my woodworking class here completely underwhelmed. The teacher seemed knowledgeable about woodworking but not so much on teaching (being sure to stop to ask for questions, making sure people were comfortable, etc.) and the followup seemed a bit off. Were we supposed to leave the class able to make things? Were there classes that were available later?
To top it off, there was someone taking pictures the entire time, often actually standing in the way of the students — they should have asked permission for this, or at the very least explained ahead of time that there would be someone standing between us and the lesson with large, cumbersome photographic equipment.
I’m seeing the other reviews and am glad others got more out of it than I did, but to me, it seemed a better idea than execution. I definitely would NOT recommend this to people who are just beginners.

I’ve never been good at making stuff. Well, okay… I’ve made a few clever things in my life, I’m great at making messes, and as much as I try to avoid it, I often end up making a mountain out of a mole hill. But when it comes to putting my hands to craft enterprises, it’s often better left to other, more talented folks.
That said, I do enjoy the act of TRYING to make stuff, and ADX is a pretty sweet place to undertake such an endeavor. It’s a collective workspace that has a bunch of tools, facilities and even a gallery for showing off the shit you made. The folks who run it are friendly and the location is super central.
I’ve only visited and toured the space once, and I’m already sold on it. The thought of getting to use advanced tools without having to buy them is exciting. I can only imagine the magnitude of damage I could do to the things I’m trying to make with said tools. FUN!

just took a class in their makers series — the cutting board class. was so much fun! i had basically 0 knowledge of working in a wood shop, I can now operate a lot of the big machines they have there plus i came home with an amazing black walnut cutting board that i made myself!
the teacher was super knowledgable of not only all the equipment, but wood in general. also very personable and a great teacher.
looking forward to taking more classes in the makers series and applying my newly learned skills to projects of my own.

I recently had ADX help me build some small wooden boxes for a self-​promotion project. I worked with Seamus, he was a great guy to collaborate with. I shared my idea/​design and together we made it better. He brought a lot of great ideas. We utilized some of the shops more interesting machines to help us realize the design, including the routing machine and laser engraver, both are super cool, and it’s really interesting to watch them at work. Throughout the process Seamus was always communicating with me and showing the work at each step in the process.
Over all it was one of the best experiences I have had with any shop (and I have worked with several shops over the years). A good shop is made up of good skilled people and ADX hits the mark on that! Plus they have the equipment to make the ideas come to life. Thanks ADX!

ADX is totally badass. Women-​Only Welding class? OK! Basic Woodworking? COOL! Machine Sewing 101? RIGHT ON! Personally, I’m a huge fan of their marketing genius, Meredith. Everyone this place attracts seems to lead fantastically diverse, interesting lifestyles.

I have been following this team from when they were on SE 9^th by the distillery. A small custom fabrication shop mated with saavy artists, marketing and event planners to make a successful space for art shows, parties, dinners, benefits and fabrication. They even had a cool rooftop deck. One of the principals, authored, self published and launched a book about the food cart movement in Portland, Cartopia,
, now in its second printing. It’s really much bigger than that, it’s a handbook for launching a food cart movement in any city in the world.
Their individual and collaborative projects were so successful that they moved to a larger space and are set up for larger scale creative collaborations.
They have classes and a safety-​oriented wood shop (they use the awesome SawStop table saw — look it up, from a Portland-​Tigard startup), a metal shop, work space and office space for rent. OMFG, the ex-W+K, ACE Hotel, Spirit of 77,… are collaborating next door. There is a biodesel powered farm to fork mobile kitchen project getting ready for a national tour. They are seeking designer, writer, web, and other creative businesses to form an office that collaborates as a virtual agency in addition to operating their own businesses out of the space.
The warehouse-​like space is rentable for teaching classes and other events. They are entrepreneurs, so bring your ideas! Keep an eye out for the classes offered too.
It’s a new DIY spot for the individual creative who wants company and the possibility of collaboration!