How are these places funded? Who buys all the equipment, machines? What about all the materials, wood, plastic, metal? Electronic parts, consumables, bits, and everything else in these places? How much does it cost to be a member?
What about insurance? I imagine liability insurance is not cheap.
I've been a member of the Dallas Makerspace for about two years.
https://dallasmakerspace.org/
We are solely membership funded $50 per month($35 for retired or students)
Equipment and machines are bought or donated for example I donated my old fully functional Rotary above ground lift to the automotive committee.
"The "Space" is open 24/7 to members and has about 17,000 square feet of climate controlled work areas. There aren't many places I can go to use a lift to do a clutch or oil change or brakes in a comfortable 76 degrees during a Texas summer.
Thursdays at 7pm the public is welcome for tours - a tour takes about an hour.
Members provide their own materials - and some consumables. blades, router bits, drills, mill tooling, sandpaper, etc is provided within reason.
Automotive is just one feature of the Dallas Makerspace, others include(but not limited to):
Machine shop (with a CNC mill), Welding shop, Sheet metal shop (with CNC plasma cutter), wood shop (with CNC wood router), 3 laser cutters, 2 wide format printers, 1 24" vinyl cutter, 3 classrooms(one with theatre sound, projector, screen etc, a galley, 3D print room(6) 3D printers, electronics lab, science/biology lab, RC car/planes, Creative arts (two many activities to list), jewelry/small metals. ceramics/fired arts, digital video/recording, a "common" area with tables and seating for dozens to use your own laptop or one of many that were donated to use.
The Space has evolved & continues to do so, i.e. in the 2 years I've been a member they had a worthless 80 gallon Husky air compressor but now have a 250 gallon dual pump Quincy(wouldn't have been my choice) with a refrigerated dryer. The wood shop had one Horror Freight wood lathe but now has a nice Powermatic and 4 other wood lathes. When I joined, automotive had floor jacks and jack stands, now they have a lift, and several floor jacks and stands, a 50 ton air/hydraulic press, heated enclosed parts washer, and a 20ton air jack for my nephew's Unimog(needed a steel brake line fabricated on the left rear) and more.
Tesla donated a charging station and we have another charging station for those other coal fueled all electric cars - just pull up and plug in.
The "Space" has a lot to offer - but like most places - it isn't perfect for "everyone"
We are insured, not cheap no, but neither is air conditioning a 17,000 square foot work shop.
All the areas are broken down into "committees" and the committees are allotted a monthly allowance/stipend to buy or replenish tools, consumables etc. These committees post "how to" classes on the calendar. Most classes are free or close to it but the "Space" pays the committee $50 for every class it does - this works well for those members that want a specific tool, or piece of equipment funded.
That's the short version - I'll post a few photos from work tomorrow(later today).
P.S. many have asked why I donated my old lift.......I used to lease a small commercial space in an overcrowded not so great industrial park(for personal use) when I had an 8-5 gig, but things changed and I moved out, then I took a tour of the Makerspace........now I can use my old lift in air conditioned comfort(Texas summers are HOT and last way too long), on a smooth clean floor, that is well lit whenever I need it.
