Monday, February 14, 2011
TechShop in San Francisco
Between the Lines: "I recently learned of a business where it shares equipment to design and build projects for a membership. Friday I paid a visit to one of their newest locations in San Francisco, in fact the paint was still drying on the front entrance. I am confident not everyone has a full welding shop, machine shop, electrical design workbench, wood shop, textile equipment, 3D scanning, 3D printing, high end computers and classrooms loaded with the latest and greatest software such as AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor and more at their house. For those without access to all the equipment to design and build whatever your heart desires, TechShop is the solution you have been looking for. You can let your inner 'Maker' out.
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10 comments:
This sounds almost too good to be true. To give this opportunity to everyone is such an amzzing thing. Places like this are wonderful in that they give everyday people the chace to learn and make something extrordinary. I did have a concern though, if the TechShop is for everyone how do you make sure that everyone can use the tools and equipment safely. But there are great classes such as the Saftey and Basic use class which can make sure that everyone is safe. It makes me unbelieveably proud that someone would do this for a community because it opens up so many doors as well as giving pepople askill that if they chose they could have the ground work for pursuing in the future.
This is such a great idea, I’m actually surprised it hasn’t become more popular yet. It’s unpractical to own all of the tools and machines that TechShop provides, and this would be great to have access nearby. It’s also really nice for people that maybe haven’t ever really used these types of processes before. This gives them a place to safely learn and hone their skills with tools that they normally would never have access to. And obviously, it's great for those who do already know how to use these tools and just don't have the means of owning them. They offer many different classes on all the tools, as well as have “Dream Coaches” available to advise and help if needed. Overall, it seems like a pretty great new business.
This sounds like a great idea, but I'm wary that they will stay open long. Considering all the debate about tool safety lately, I wonder what TechShop's training procedure is for putting people into the shop. I feel like the liability for the company would be huge. So much in fact that it's probably the exact reason this has never been done before. Additionally I wonder how many people would actually come in and use the more unique tools. I feel like if you knew that you needed to use that tool, you might already own a lot of tools. I hope that a shop like this can stay open and provide a great opportunity for more people to experiment with their carpenter side.
There's a shop like this in Philly but geared towards artists, sculptors in particular. The idea is to give artists access to expensive tools to help build their sculptures: an indirect way to provide financial support to a bohemian lifestyle. I'd be interseted to see what the majority membership is like, private contractors, hobbyists, artists, or some combination of all. Also wondering who their target audience is; you wouldn't start a fitness club unless you knew their was a demand for a location to work-out.
We've been reading a lot in the news about cuts to funding, restructing of funding, and yet; rise of different avant-garde groups. A shop like this could be a wonderful asset to these store-front/garage theater companies who don't have financial access to a shop, tools, or the means to build them. If this is the case, it would be very cool to think of the economic ramifications shops like these would have on production.
This sounds amazing. Often times we can get spoiled with the amount of high end machinery we have access to but a place like this would be incredibly useful to anyone that needs to use these tools for a job or if they just want to play around. For $125 a month or $75 for students I would say their prices are very affordable and looking at their tool list they seem to have everything we have here plus a whole lot more. They also provide free popped popcorn and use of their refrigerator!
this sounds like an outstanding concept especially for major cities in the entertainment industry across the US. in many ways it reminds me allot of how a Gym membership works where you have a building with all the equipment you could need and all you need to do is be a member to access it. i will be very interested to see how this business model pans out. i imagine it will turn out to be very successful. the concept is in a way though like a downscale of cost major scene shops where you rent their services in a way its still a similar concept just on a small affordable for more personal use scale.
I think this a fantastic idea. I think in San Francisco this will be used quite frequently. I have heard people at CMU talk about buying a laser cutter in New York just so they can rent it out and profit. I feel like this is like that times a billion. Not only are they providing a place for people who need these tools but don't have access to them to work, but they are also giving people a chance who have never even set foot in a shop to work in one. I think that working with your hands gives you skills you and get no other way and that is why this is so valuable. I also think that things like the techshop make it legitimate for us to have things like a laser cutter in our own shop, because you can actually run into them in the real world.
I completely agree with the previous posts. It's a wonderful idea to open something like this up to the general public. Like the others have said, it gives people a lot of opportunity to build a framework for a possible future career. Like Sonia, I am concerned that being so nonselective about letting people use their tools could lead to more injuries. Basic safety classes, however, would reduce the risk greatly.
I think that this is a great opportunity for hobbyists, artists, and other small-scale creations, but I'm not sure how useful it will turn out to be for the theatre industry. Places that are small enough to not have the equipment offered here will not have budgets large enough for that type of project anyways, much less for the materials. Larger places will have established relationships with machine shops, fabrication shops, etc, where they can probably get whatever they need made without having to spend the time doing it themselves. I would love to go to one of these places, though, it sounds awesome!
I've seen these types of prototyping collectives elsewhere and I think they're really neat. I love the idea that advanced technology and resources can get to a wider base of thinkers. This type of environment is sure to foster innovation. The ability for garage tinkerers to work in a real shop, next to other thinkers, I imagine would be invaluable. The ability to make friends with other skill sets and knowledge bases, to tap someone on the shoulder to ask a question, and to form new friendships to make new collaborations looks like a great trend for that sector. I wonder if there are ways of bringing this type of collective to people other than tinkerers.
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