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urban workshop / membership shop thoughts?

cbracer

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Feb 27, 2012
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637
Location
Costa Mesa, CA
Has anyone been a member of a shared shop idea? I'm sure there's plenty of other ones under different names but it's basically a membership to a full on shop for working on projects with tools I'd never be able to afford. My friend started the one up down here in Orange county CA, and it seems like a cool idea. He's got quite a bit of brand new tooling and most importantly for me car lifts.
http://urbanworkshop.net/
 
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Bruce51d

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Sep 17, 2015
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Looks like the auto craft shop on military installations. Some call
It a DIY shop.
 

General Geoff

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Jan 12, 2013
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Allentown, Pennsylvania
That place appears to offer way more than just a place to wrench on a car. It's almost like a trade school, but cheaper.



I've rented garage space with friends/acquaintances, but never anywhere with a lift. Worked out well, as long as I kept my tools locked up.
 
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IsaacJ

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Mar 9, 2014
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122
Location
Iowa
with all those fancy tools and equipment, what keeps people from stealing them? It sounds like an awesome concept, but with our society on the decline, I would worry that your profits would go to replacing and repairing the equipment and tools.
 

Bruce51d

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Sep 17, 2015
Messages
28
Yeah on a military post, I'll use Joint Base Lewis McCord because I have first hand knowledge there. You rent a bay, flat bay was 4 dollars an hour, lift bay was 3 dollars per half hour. Each bay came with a full box of snap on hand tools (big box) and you were given tool chips for specialty stuff (torque wrench, impact, ect). They had stuff like alignment racks, tire machines and full diagnostic equipment we could use. I think it would be cool to open a place like that but I have my doubts. IDK what the insurance for a place like that would be and IDK how you would get your money if a person lost a tool (on post they would just sign a memorandum and basically set up an allotment to take your money until your debt was paid). I don't have much faith in people either.
 
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FigureItOut

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Sep 14, 2015
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Location
Bentonville AR
I've tried mightily to create a network of guys who'll loan each other tools. I've got some specialty stuff that very few people will want to buy, and I'd be willing to make things available to other guys if they had stuff I might like to use occasionally.

Kinda like a couple of neighbors, but maybe have a couple hundred guys involved. I can't seem to get anyone else interested.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 

honcho

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Feb 2, 2011
Messages
2,289
Location
Near Sodom & Gommorah (aka Wash. DC)
The Urban Workshop isn't inexpensive. A prepaid Annual membership is $1400.

As mentioned, most miltary installations have an auto craft shop. I think the NPR guys, Click & Clack, actually ran a shop kind of like what you're describing. Doable? Yes Problems: Start Up Costs and Liability Exposure.

In the bicycling world, there are cooperatives and clubs that have workshops and tools.

Even the military auto craft shops have their issues but since the users are either active/retired military or defense department civilians most people behave themselves. However, the modest user fees charged at the auto craft shops don't come close to covering what the facilities cost and all the other associated expenses. Mostly the fees help pay for the staff and expendables.

In the United States, clubs and fraternal organizations with their own buildings have been losing membership for years. Masonic lodges, Knights of Columbus, Elks, VFW, American Legion and similar organizations have aging memberships and relatively few young people joining. Heck, at the youth end of thing, Scouting and 4-H have lackluster membership. With so many options for our free time, we're more of a country of "Do Your Own Thing" and not joiners and sharers.

I suppose the best one can realistically hope for is having friends and family that help each other out now and then.
 
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theoldwizard1

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Feb 22, 2011
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43,126
Location
SE MI
There are a couple of these workshop around here, but all are more than a 30 minute drive away. And they are not cheap. If they were closer and less expensive, I would consider it it more.

I have a excellent machinist available, who knows a good welder ... when he gets done with his own projects ! :bounce:
 

zkling

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Jan 23, 2007
Messages
16,939
There are a number of them across the states, maker space and the like. Primarily in heavily populated cities. Yes the pricing is a bit out of the hobbiest budget, but for someone that was really going to use it, $1500 for a years worth of full access to machines that you don't have to maintain is a great deal. IMHO.
 
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