[olePigeon]

Photos: Hobbyists heed TechShop's siren song | CNET News.com

Hah! It's the Kinkos of machinery! You get to pop in, pay a few bucks, then get to use a plethora of machines like laser CAMs, CNC routers, laser etchers, 3D resin printers, and computer controlled sewing machines (for custom embroidery.)

They have one in Palo Alto! I'm going to check it out after work. HOT DAMN!

[osiris]

That is really a cool idea. The plasma cutter looks like fun.

A bit of a commute for me though.

[phantomdragonz]

I would love to play on that laser etcher.... I remember someone etching that old japanese (chinese?) drawing of a wave on the back of their mac laptop... that would be SWEET!!! unless you turned it up too high!!

Zach

[analogika]

Originally Posted by phantomdragonz 

I would love to play on that laser etcher.... I remember someone etching that old japanese (chinese?) drawing of a wave on the back of their mac laptop...

Sounds like you mean Hokusai's Great Wave off Kanagawa, from the Views of Mt. Fuji



That's definitely Japanese.

(and in fact, googling "hokusai etching macbook" finds the very page you must have remembered: MAKE: Blog: How it's made - Laser etching Powerbooks, which is just WAY cool. Oh, and the waves in THAT version are actually bunny rabbits. )

[imitchellg5]

There is a Mac reseller in Portland, Oregon, with one of those machines. It's really cool. They'll etch 'Books, iPods, and just about anything.

[OreoCookie]

How much is it? The plum blossom motive would look great on my machine!

[ghporter]

My favorite:

I know all the 'scopes on that shelf, along with probably all the other items of test equipment there. Those alone are worth the price of admission. The other hardware, including the plasma cutter and the Bridgeport mill are just great icing! Wow!

[olePigeon]

I visited the store and went on a tour, it's pretty cool. It's $30/month and you have access to the whole shop. Some hardware requires you to take a safety course (like the metal sheet benders, some of the drills and lathes, etc.), and those courses are $30 each (cheaper if you get more people.)

However, regular consumables are free! Stuff like solder, those metal rods for welding (I don't weld), argon gas for the welders, etc.

I'll probably go back because they have a vinyl printer and it's only $10 a foot for the vinyl (well, it's 3' wide, but $10 for every foot in length.) So for $30 I get in, then spend $30 on vinyl, and I get a 9 square foot vinyl graphic for $60. Something like that would easily cost $500 if you went to a printer. Pretty damn good deal.

I'd probably use the laser etcher and etch some iPods and stuff.

[sek929]

Holy Bejeezus that's cool!

I'd could spend weeks only using the CNC machine!