Sep. 25—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Growing up, David Bell often watched his father’s hands at work with tools and metal.
Not nearly enough to learn the craft — something Bell said he often regrets.
So, when he heard Made in Johnstown was debuting downtown with free boot camps teaching the craft, “it was like a door opened for me,” Bell, of Windber, said.
That’s exactly what the architects behind the collaborative “makerspace” are hoping will happen for local residents such as Bell — and perhaps local manufacturers looking for new talent, Made in Johnstown Director Michael Rottman said.
Through support by Catalyst Connections and Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI), free daylong one- and two-day workshops are being offered this month to give newcomers a taste of the trades.
Eight students were at work Sunday shaping mahogany, welding steel and programming computer numerical control…
