Making stuff is fun. But sometimes you need a 3D printer, and Bunnings are out of them – besides, they’re thousands of bucks. What to do?
There’s a place in the USA called TechShop which is a workshop fully fitted out with most imaginable tools, industrial grade. I lust after it. $30 for a day-pass, $100 for a month. Only problem is, cool ideas like this don’t seem to get financial traction. If something like this opens up in your area, make sure they’re going to hang around before you part with long-term payments.
Parallels have been drawn to the MIT FabLab, which is in a number of countries, but seems more focused on technology than materials.
TechShop is a great idea for sure. I had the chance to go there for a DorkBot a little while ago. They have a decent number of tools and rooms and such, but much of the stuff is pretty old. Their heavy machine stuff is especially well aged. But still a good place to do a project.