Introduction

Step 1: Find a Workshop

Each AKER kit is cut from sheets of 4'x8' material (such as plywood) using an automated CNC router machine. These machines can be found in most cities and many towns around the world.

After ordering and downloading our AKER kit files, the next step is to contact a workshop and send them the files for review. The workshop must have a 4'x8' router in order to cut these files.

We recommend the following resources for finding a local workshop:

Workshop Resource	Description
The Maker Map	Resource to find local makerspaces and commercial workshops
FabLabs.io	Resource to find fablabs
FabHub	Resource to find commercial fabrication facilities
100K Garages	Resource to find commercial and non-commercial facilities

Step 2: Source Sheet Materials

AKER kits can be cut from any routable 4'x8' material of a 3/4 inch / 19mm thickness. The most common material is plywood, but you can also use recycled plastic, cork, or even mycelium sheets, as long as they conform to these dimensions. We encourage you to experiment and share your findings with us!

Chosen materials should meet the following standards:

• Exterior-grade
• Non-toxic (must not leach or off-gas toxins into soil, liquids or air)
• Sustainably sourced

It is most important to ensure that any material you use is non-toxic.

You are free to either source your own materials, or get the workshop you choose to help you.

Step 3: Treat Your Materials

To ensure your kit is protected against water, snow and the elements, it is advised that you treat any wood materials with a non-toxic lacquer. We have experimented successfully with boiled linseed oil, but there are a number of other options.

See this list below, and please suggest new lacquers to add in our forum.

Treatment	Website	Tested / Untested
Boiled Linseed Oil	http://www.homedepot.com	Tested
LifeTime Wood Treatment	http://www.valhalco.com	Tested
Eco Wood Treatment	http://www.ecowoodtreatment.com	Tested
Osmo Oil	http://www.osmona.com/interior/One_coat.shtml	Untested

Step 4: Prepare Your Other Materials

Source the other relevant materials for your kit. For the GroGrid, this could be soil, compost and seeds to start growing veggies. For the WormHaus, this could be worms, pete and cardboard to start making glorious compost.

We recommend using local small businesses to fill these needs, rather than large corporate stores such as Home Depot etc. This way you support locally owned businesses which often act more responsibly and supply higher quality materials than large chain stores.

Please add any local, trusty resources you find to the AKER map!