Pretty much a wet dream...

[Slippyblade]

I just found a Makerspace local to me.  Well, 20 minute drive via freeway, but that is local around here.

http://www.heatsynclabs.org/

WAY more equipment and tools than I imagined.  Open to the public.

Anybody here have experience with Makerspace type places?

[yotsuya]

I just found a Makerspace local to me.  Well, 20 minute drive via freeway, but that is local around here.

http://www.heatsynclabs.org/

WAY more equipment and tools than I imagined.  Open to the public.

Anybody here have experience with Makerspace type places?

Let's go next week!

[Slippyblade]

I'm gonna try to get out there this week sometime just to meet folks and look around.  My mind is doing back-flips thinking about having access to a 3d Printer, a laser cutter, and a vinyl cutter!  My wife and daughter are pretty excited as well. 

[SavannahLion]

I don't how useful this information might be, but I'll put it out there. I did briefly consider starting my own. I also visited a couple of local ones to me and the pricing structure is roughly the same but their setup was completely different. The people at them were definitely hit ad miss.

The true Makerspace I visited has an pricing structure virtually identical the one you linked to. On the day I visited, the majority of people there were in the younger age bracket (18-25ish) and didn't have the huge number of responsibilities I have now. They acted very kindly but I somehow got the feeling that, being as old as I am, that if I didn't have excess experience to pour into the talent pool that I was just going to be a waste of time to them. You know that feeling, imagine being forty years old and invited to a frat house party filled with drunk 18 year olds. They're friendly enough, offering swads of beer, weeds and sex, but it's hard to feel like you fit in with that crowd. Except no one at the lab was drunk... or high... or sexy but the point still stands. They also offered a bi-monthly kid-only class that I found rather attractive as I have three to consider.

The other group had a pricing structure that was rougly 1/3 to 1/4 of the makerspace. It consists of a group of people generally 10 years my senior, minimum. They don't have a true makerspace in the sense that everything and everyone gather in one location. Instead they meet once a month (or week, I forget) in a round-robin collection of suitably equipped garages. For example, you have Neil, Bob, Sam and Sarah. Everyone meets at Neil's garage to use his wood working tools. Next is Bob to use his metal working tools. Next is Sam to use his CNC or something, last would be Sarah's with her glass fabricating tools. Then the cycle repeats. On the questionnaire, they asked me to list my tools and whether you would be willing to "fold them" into the circuit. I indicated I was not going to have my garage or my tools on the circuit. I have my reasons, not the least of which is my garage is awfully crowded.

When one of the members asked me why I didn't want to put my garage into the circuit (which reduces membership fees), I told her that my tools were not safe. Some of my wood working tools were inherited antiques and had no safety measures whatsoever. No kickback guard. No safety switch (light switch  ) etc. Or had been modified by my father (again no safety). Almost immediately, they lost interest in my conversation with them and acted like I wasn't there. They rebuffed further questions, refused to return any later correspondence from myself or my wife. My wife does own tools with all of their safety guards in place and are the primary tools used in the garage but are not nearly as durable as my own antique ones. I assume they weren't interested in the consumer quality tools she purchased either 

It's been a year since then and we (as in my wife) contacted them again expressing interest and they responded. We both agreed to make ZERO mention of any tools we own which effectively removes our garage from their circuit but increases membership fees slightly. I don't feel especially comfortable being a part of them because of their rotten attitude last year. However my wife attended a couple of their "membership signup" meetings and the people from last year are no longer members so it does seem to have changed in tone. So my wife plans to join their group for a couple of months and see how their overall attitude is.

In any case, in both safety was a top priority (like I don't consider safety by not letting anyone use my tools?? ) The Makerspace requires tests to use some of their tools I think and offer training classes for some of their more sophisticated tools.

It wasn't clear whether I needed to supply my own raw materials though or if membership fees included raw materials. Both groups seem to hee and haw around that issue. 

To boil everything down, I would say it comes down to two things. First is if you feel comfortable around those people. Remember, there are some dangerous tools and your life may be in their hands.

Second is how willing they are in answering any and all of your questions. I had more questions answered signing my kids up for martial arts than I did at either group I visited.

[ChadTower]

Ha, that frat party analogy is perfect.  I went through that a couple of times in my late 20s trying to visit my brother in college.  I was 28 with a wife and kids standing in the corner of a frat party like... erm... yeah... I really don't belong here. 

[pbj]

You know, I polled some of my friends once and asked if any one of us had actually had a true wet dream.  Not waking up halfway through jacking off in your sleep and finishing the job, but actually waking up in a pool of semen and not remembering any of it. 

Not one single person.

All clubs are terrible, no exceptions.  People take them far too seriously.  Disclosing the ownership of specific tools was a beating offense in my household growing up.

[SavannahLion]

You know, I polled some of my friends once and asked if any one of us had actually had a true wet dream.  Not waking up halfway through jacking off in your sleep and finishing the job, but actually waking up in a pool of semen and not remembering any of it. 

Not one single person.

All clubs are terrible, no exceptions.  People take them far too seriously.  Disclosing the ownership of specific tools was a beating offense in my household growing up.

Seeing as how every teenager jacks off every night, I'm surprised the concept of a wet dream ever came about.

But I digress, I was not keen on divulging my tools on a form along with my address either. Just an invitation to problems. ---smurfette--- only found out about my tools because of our conversation and she never did let me fully explain anyways.

The biggest ---uvula--- club around has to be post '96 MtG with Rosewater and his cronies.

[Generic Eric]

Good for you.  The closest is 2.5 hrs away, which might as well be a day away.

[Howard_Casto]

I noticed home depot and lowes are starting to sell 3d printers and cnc machines now.  Hopefully the price will come down in the next couple of years.

[Slippyblade]

I noticed home depot and lowes are starting to sell 3d printers and cnc machines now.  Hopefully the price will come down in the next couple of years.

I can only hope.  My wife wants a 3d printer for her metal casting.  She uses the lost wax method and found a few articles about using a 3d printer to just print up the wax masters for molding.  She's excited cause then she'd get identical duplicate masters.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah I was thinking I could do low yield stuff for the hobby and sell em on the side.  Like NES storage containers with the Mario brick pattern carved into them, ect....