On 5/1/2015 11:54 AM, Electric Comet wrote: > > i have noticed that the coops and shared work spaces are really > sprouting up all over > > How do you like the arrangement of the coop or shared space you're > part of > > > some of them have quite a wide variety of machines available > > powder coat booths, CNC router, and on and on > > some have foundries, kilns, looms > There's a place in Norwalk Connecticut that I stumbled on because it is attached to a Woodcraft dealership. They have a spacious shop; 5000 sq. feet if memory serves, with a fair amount of gear and workstations. Here's the interesting bit: you don't necessarily need to become a member to use it. They sell "time cards", which (again, from memory) work out to something like $15/hour if bought in 10-hour increments.
[all of this information is a couple of years old)
I was there on a Saturday or Sunday at around midday, presumably "rush hour". There were a half dozen people working. The fellow I spoke to said that some people come there at the beginning of a project to use their (very large) table saw, jointer, planer, bandsaw, etc. Then they take the parts home and continue in their own (presumably small, less well-equipped) shops.
They give classes there as well. If you join, you can not only use the shop whenever you please, but you can store your work there; I believe they have a locked area.
The pay-as-you-go option seemed pretty attractive for an under-equipped guy like me. If the place wasn't an hour from home I might have tried it by now. You can apparently even have lumber delivered directly to the place.
One of the people who does that was a woman in her late sixties (at least). She apparently takes the train there every weekend from NY City. I'm not sure what she was building; when I was there she was cutting up some small parts. Maybe she rents a car once in a while to bring the work home.
I just took a look at their site:
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Turns out the prices I remember are still accurate. You can actually get
25 hours for $210. I remember a giant old table saw, but now they apparently have two SawStops. I probably really should get my "planning" act in gear and start a project there, but my free time is kind of hit-or-miss. It would be awfully efficient though.