Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any co-op shops in the Los
Angeles, CA area. Does such a thing even exist? I won't have the space
or capitol to have a full shop of my own so it makes sense that I
might be able to pool resources with a group of other hobbyists.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Eric

On Feb 1, 6:37 pm, Eric Buehl wrote:
Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any co-op shops in the Los
Angeles, CA area. Does such a thing even exist? I won't have the space
or capitol to have a full shop of my own so it makes sense that I
might be able to pool resources with a group of other hobbyists.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Eric

Not with my equipment!
Paul

"Eric Buehl" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any co-op shops in the Los
Angeles, CA area. Does such a thing even exist? I won't have the space
or capitol to have a full shop of my own so it makes sense that I
might be able to pool resources with a group of other hobbyists.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Eric


You mean a bit like this http://www.fremanshed.org/ but on your side of the
planet.

Eric Buehl wrote:
Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any co-op shops in the Los
Angeles, CA area. Does such a thing even exist? I won't have the space
or capitol to have a full shop of my own so it makes sense that I
might be able to pool resources with a group of other hobbyists.

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Eric

Eric:

My understanding is that TechShop is going to be expanding into
LA and San Diego. Here's a URL:

http://techshop.ws/

-Wayne

Wayne C. Gramlich wrote:
My understanding is that TechShop is going to be expanding ...
http://techshop.ws/

Whoa: "There are currently 11 TechShops actively being built around the
country, and hundreds more to come in the next few years." Amazing!!

There were a couple of threads about TechShop back in April & Sept 2006.
Basically felt it was a fine idea but a risky business (a similar
thing had quickly failed here in MA). I wonder what made TechShop so
successful? And I wonder id all these other locations are franchises?

Famous last words: "It's not something that I'd invest in." (myself,
9/2006).

Bob

On Feb 1, 8:35 pm, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Wayne C. Gramlich wrote:
My understanding is that TechShop is going to be expanding ...
http://techshop.ws/

Whoa: "There are currently 11 TechShops actively being built around the
country, and hundreds more to come in the next few years." Amazing!!

There were a couple of threads about TechShop back in April & Sept 2006.
Basically felt it was a fine idea but a risky business (a similar
thing had quickly failed here in MA). I wonder what made TechShop so
successful? And I wonder id all these other locations are franchises?

Famous last words: "It's not something that I'd invest in." (myself,
9/2006).

Bob

I just followed the URL and they do look interesting. Actually they
seem to have taken the place of the community college shop classes
that used to be offered everywhere. The classes required before a
machine can be used are rather cheap for what you get.

However, the name co-op should not be applied. There is no membership
fee required. These must be able to make a profit. If a co-op makes a
profit, it must be returned to the members.

Many years ago, actual auto repair co-ops and photo lab co-ops were
tried in Portland, OR. They didn't work because one or two people
hogged the usage of the facility. Only one person can use a photo lab
at a time! The TechShop will have to set rules for use, which I didn't
see on the web site. To be really useful they would have to be open
24/7.

Paul

wrote:
On Feb 1, 8:35 pm, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Wayne C. Gramlich wrote:
My understanding is that TechShop is going to be expanding ...
http://techshop.ws/
Whoa: "There are currently 11 TechShops actively being built around the
country, and hundreds more to come in the next few years." Amazing!!

There were a couple of threads about TechShop back in April & Sept 2006.
Basically felt it was a fine idea but a risky business (a similar
thing had quickly failed here in MA). I wonder what made TechShop so
successful? And I wonder id all these other locations are franchises?

Famous last words: "It's not something that I'd invest in." (myself,
9/2006).

Bob

I just followed the URL and they do look interesting. Actually they
seem to have taken the place of the community college shop classes
that used to be offered everywhere. The classes required before a
machine can be used are rather cheap for what you get.

However, the name co-op should not be applied. There is no membership
fee required. These must be able to make a profit. If a co-op makes a
profit, it must be returned to the members.

Many years ago, actual auto repair co-ops and photo lab co-ops were
tried in Portland, OR. They didn't work because one or two people
hogged the usage of the facility. Only one person can use a photo lab
at a time! The TechShop will have to set rules for use, which I didn't
see on the web site. To be really useful they would have to be open
24/7.

It definitely does not fit the definition of a co-op. It is
pay to play. It is possible to reserve machines. They have
some machines that are simply not affordable for a home shop.
I hope they are not expanding too fast. Time will tell.

-Wayne

On Feb 2, 1:41 pm, "Wayne C. Gramlich" wrote:
wrote:
On Feb 1, 8:35 pm, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Wayne C. Gramlich wrote:
My understanding is that TechShop is going to be expanding ...
http://techshop.ws/
Whoa: "There are currently 11 TechShops actively being built around the
country, and hundreds more to come in the next few years." Amazing!!

There were a couple of threads about TechShop back in April & Sept 2006.
Basically felt it was a fine idea but a risky business (a similar
thing had quickly failed here in MA). I wonder what made TechShop so
successful? And I wonder id all these other locations are franchises?

Famous last words: "It's not something that I'd invest in." (myself,
9/2006).

Bob

I just followed the URL and they do look interesting. Actually they
seem to have taken the place of the community college shop classes
that used to be offered everywhere. The classes required before a
machine can be used are rather cheap for what you get.

However, the nameco-opshould not be applied. There is no membership
fee required. These must be able to make a profit. If aco-opmakes a
profit, it must be returned to the members.

Many years ago, actual auto repair co-ops and photo lab co-ops were
tried in Portland, OR. They didn't work because one or two people
hogged the usage of the facility. Only one person can use a photo lab
at a time! The TechShop will have to set rules for use, which I didn't
see on the web site. To be really useful they would have to be open
24/7.

It definitely does not fit the definition of aco-op. It is
pay to play. It is possible to reserve machines. They have
some machines that are simply not affordable for a home shop.
I hope they are not expanding too fast. Time will tell.

-Wayne

I'll be really excited to see if TechShop makes it. If there are no
co-ops in the area, this could be a viable alternative.

Eric

On Feb 2, 10:41 am, "Wayne C. Gramlich" wrote:

It definitely does not fit the definition of a co-op. It is
pay to play. It is possible to reserve machines. They have
some machines that are simply not affordable for a home shop.
I hope they are not expanding too fast. Time will tell.

-Wayne

And pay it is! $100 per person per month, and you can't share it
among people. There are a couple of people in my shop who might want
to use some of their equipment, like the plasma cut table and the
Epilog laser cutter, but the said that we would have to buy a
membership for each person, even if only one was going to be there at
a time. Also, when I toured it (Menlo Park, CA), the equipment was
all either 30 year old worn out (they had a CNC with controls that had
to be at least 35 years old) or crappy Harbor Freight stuff I wouldn't
even buy for myself. I turned on a bench grinder and was seriously
afraid that it would fly apart. It was also housed in basically
converted office space, which was not very amenable to use as a
machine shop. The noise from the machinery penetrated all of the
rooms, including the computer area and such, where you might want
peace and quiet for working on complicated parts. It was also poorly
ventilated, and made up of a rabbit's warren of small rooms, far from
an efficient setup. They would have been better off in an old
industrial building.

woodworker88 wrote:
On Feb 2, 10:41 am, "Wayne C. Gramlich" wrote:

It definitely does not fit the definition of a co-op. It is
pay to play. It is possible to reserve machines. They have
some machines that are simply not affordable for a home shop.
I hope they are not expanding too fast. Time will tell.

-Wayne

And pay it is! $100 per person per month, and you can't share it
among people. There are a couple of people in my shop who might want
to use some of their equipment, like the plasma cut table and the
Epilog laser cutter, but the said that we would have to buy a
membership for each person, even if only one was going to be there at
a time. Also, when I toured it (Menlo Park, CA), the equipment was
all either 30 year old worn out (they had a CNC with controls that had
to be at least 35 years old) or crappy Harbor Freight stuff I wouldn't
even buy for myself. I turned on a bench grinder and was seriously
afraid that it would fly apart. It was also housed in basically
converted office space, which was not very amenable to use as a
machine shop. The noise from the machinery penetrated all of the
rooms, including the computer area and such, where you might want
peace and quiet for working on complicated parts. It was also poorly
ventilated, and made up of a rabbit's warren of small rooms, far from
an efficient setup. They would have been better off in an old
industrial building.

I, too, have had the tour of the Menlo Park Facility. At $100 a
month, I can not justify the cost, but I have been buying tools
for the garage shop for many many years.

None-the-less, I view TechShop as a work in progress. Will prices
come down? Will the newer shops have a more efficent layout?
Will next shops have some more modern CNC? etc. Ultimately, if
they can not attract and retain interested members, they will not
succeed. The fact that they are expanding suggests that they think
that they have a winning formula. Again, time will tell.

-Wayne

On Feb 2, 11:28 pm, "Wayne C. Gramlich" wrote:
woodworker88 wrote:
On Feb 2, 10:41 am, "Wayne C. Gramlich" wrote:

It definitely does not fit the definition of a co-op. It is
pay to play. It is possible to reserve machines. They have
some machines that are simply not affordable for a home shop.
I hope they are not expanding too fast. Time will tell.

-Wayne

And pay it is! $100 per person per month, and you can't share it
among people. There are a couple of people in my shop who might want
to use some of their equipment, like the plasma cut table and the
Epilog laser cutter, but the said that we would have to buy a
membership for each person, even if only one was going to be there at
a time. Also, when I toured it (Menlo Park, CA), the equipment was
all either 30 year old worn out (they had a CNC with controls that had
to be at least 35 years old) or crappy Harbor Freight stuff I wouldn't
even buy for myself. I turned on a bench grinder and was seriously
afraid that it would fly apart. It was also housed in basically
converted office space, which was not very amenable to use as a
machine shop. The noise from the machinery penetrated all of the
rooms, including the computer area and such, where you might want
peace and quiet for working on complicated parts. It was also poorly
ventilated, and made up of a rabbit's warren of small rooms, far from
an efficient setup. They would have been better off in an old
industrial building.

I, too, have had the tour of the Menlo Park Facility. At $100 a
month, I can not justify the cost, but I have been buying tools
for the garage shop for many many years.

None-the-less, I view TechShop as a work in progress. Will prices
come down? Will the newer shops have a more efficent layout?
Will next shops have some more modern CNC? etc. Ultimately, if
they can not attract and retain interested members, they will not
succeed. The fact that they are expanding suggests that they think
that they have a winning formula. Again, time will tell.

-Wayne

Indeed.