Yes, that means about 90% of the guys and about half the girls here.
Check this out from the DorkBot mailing list:
Hi Mike...
I am very pleased to announce to all our friends in the State of
Washington that TechShop is expanding, and one of our first franchise
locations will be in Seattle, WA!
I will be in Seattle the first week of October, and I would like to
invite you and all the other potential TechShop members in the Seattle
area to join me there for pizza on October 4 from 6 to 10 PM. We'll
have the chance to talk about what you want to see at the Seattle
TechShop and what our plans are.
If you have friends or relatives that you think would like to use
TechShop, please invite them to come with you!
If you can come, please reply to this email and let me know how many
will be in your party, and I'll give you the location details.
Thank you, Mike. I look forward to meeting you and discussing our
future TechShop location in Seattle!
Jim Newton
Founder and Managing Director
TechShop
www.techshop.ws
For those who don't know, Techshop is a Make magazine spinoff where you can buy instruction and time on things like laser cutters, milling machines and other goodies. Sort of a geek tech coop. It's supposed to upon up in the next 6-9 months. I think I might have to ride this Tuesday instead of Thursday so I can make the planning meeting...
evilmikeJoined: 19 Apr 2006Posts: 640Location: Capitalist Hill
neat, so we can finally machine those stupid parts that nobody makes out of quality materials - like dynohub light-mounting brackets and new trimble-like championship cups? This sounds OK to me.
_________________ Some of us like things. Some of us are just joyless, bitter assholes.
SeditiousCanary
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:43 am
sorry, can't make it!Joined: 26 Jan 2006Posts: 2315Location: Fremont Troll
OI, don't even get me started.
snyd3282
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:58 am
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
Cool! Maybe I could make my bicycle tow hitch out of something that doesn't suck.
Currently it is a front fork lock bolted to a door hinge that is u-bolted to my rear rack. The door hinge is pretty cheap and has excessive side-to-side wobble.
n_claw
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:55 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2007Posts: 517Location: the only hill: Beacon
whoa. that is the awesomeness of wow, totally thrilling et chilling.
dorkbot is awesome--that's how i spent my birthday evening in PDX, chilling with people who make robots for fun at Vendetta with the folk.
i would oh-so-love to some day learn to use a plasma-cutter...<3. think of the knitting implements!
Foo
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:31 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
I'm also imagining the possibilities for .83 swag. If this one is anything like the SF one, they'll have a laser cutter/engraver and a computerized embroidery stitcher available.
We could have one or two people take the classes and get a day pass at this place and just take clothes/flasks/mudflaps etc to be customized and do the dirty work. The cost, split, should be less than having someone else do it.
Foo
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:34 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
snyd3282 wrote:
Currently it is a front fork lock bolted to a door hinge that is u-bolted to my rear rack. The door hinge is pretty cheap and has excessive side-to-side wobble.
Damn, I thought I had some Rube Goldberg stuff on my bike...
SeditiousCanary
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:37 am
sorry, can't make it!Joined: 26 Jan 2006Posts: 2315Location: Fremont Troll
Foo wrote:
We could have one or two people take the classes and get a day pass at this place and just take clothes/flasks/mudflaps etc to be customized and do the dirty work.
Having some experience with CNC, machining and the like, I'd be happy to do it.
snyd3282
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:08 pm
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
Foo wrote:
snyd3282 wrote:
Currently it is a front fork lock bolted to a door hinge that is u-bolted to my rear rack. The door hinge is pretty cheap and has excessive side-to-side wobble.
Damn, I thought I had some Rube Goldberg stuff on my bike...
That's what I get for having a bike that was built by the guys in Montlake when I live in Ballard. I needed to take it in to the shop, but I didn't want to walk or bus back home, so I mcguivered a tow hitch that would let me ride one bike while towing the other (wobiliy) behind.
At the last STP, I also wrapped a mini-gorillapod around my aerobars and took videos.
At one point, I was considering abandoning the laptop + GPS + wifi in my messenger bag NetStumbler rig for a single board computer setup I could mount in my trunk bag...but that project was abandoned in favor of more interesting and geeky things. ...though, if you want a wifi map of ballard or fremont, I still have the data.
Foo
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:37 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
snyd3282 wrote:
That's what I get for having a bike that was built by the guys in Montlake when I live in Ballard.
I hear you, I'm planning on having ABR build up my Big Dummy and I'll have to admit the thought o trucking to West Seattle and back for maintenance chills me to the bone.
snyd3282 wrote:
At one point, I was considering abandoning the laptop + GPS + wifi in my messenger bag NetStumbler rig for a single board computer setup I could mount in my trunk bag...but that project was abandoned in favor of more interesting and geeky things. ...though, if you want a wifi map of ballard or fremont, I still have the data.
Neat idea, not quite as geekasmic as war ballooning but pretty cool. Incidentally, I'm starting to teach myself to work with microprocessors and I might pick your brain at some point.
surlykat
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:23 pm
Joined: 05 Jul 2007Posts: 658Location: in the CD
this is SO AWESOME. i hope they don't charge an arm and a leg for use, literally or figuratively. i got to take a machine shop class my last quarter at Former Prestigious Institution (before i dropped out) and it was one of the coolest things i've ever done, even though I only ever did the canned project (build a magnifying glass given these crude parts); my final project was a welding project. because welding is awesome.
but this has definitely piqued my interest. let us know what goes down in the planning meeting. i can already think of at least one fun project...
Foo
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:32 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
The SF location charges:
$30 a day
$100 a month
$1200 a year
For unlimited access (to machines you are qualified to use)
With the monthly pass, you can reserve equipment x days in advance where x = the number of monthly passes you have. (e.g. if you shell out $600, you can reserve equipment 6 days in advance.)
Most of the classes I saw were $30 a person.
A class listing is here: http://techshop.ws/take_classes.html How To Make Aluminum Cycle Fenders on the English Wheel is one of the sample classes.
Also, the SF location is open 9AM-Midnight 7 days a week. (possibly going 24/7 soon)
Of course the Seattle location will be different but I imagine it will be fairly similar overall.
I definitely agree on the whole shop class deal, the most useful class I ever took in K-12 and 10 years of undergrad and doctoral schooling was my junior high school metal shop class. Mr. Cochrane, if you improbably ever read this, that class fucking rocked, I still use the dustpan I made there.
The Round Table in Renton?! Jesus. I haven't been there since... 1990.
My guess that's a hint that the place will probably not be a quick bike spin from downtown - not surprising given the rental costs around Seattle.
[edit] If anyone else here is keen to attend, you should email jim@techshop.ws with the subject "I Want to Come to the Seattle Pizza Party" to RSVP. There are too many people interested for him to respond but I'm sure the headcount will be appreciated. So far, the interest level is far exceeding their expectations. I can only take that as a good sign.
Foo
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:05 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Recap of the meeting:
Free Pizza!
Met some really cool folks in a local tech/robotics group. They have interest in doing some bike work and could use some help with bike expertise... hint hint. (They're also working on a totally bitchin' full color, animated POV spoke light device, now you too can have Derrick's dancing face on your bike wheels - dreams do come true after all...)
TechShop is going to be a franchise business - there were a good 10 people there who were volunteering to franchise including 2 who already had significant plans underway to make it happen. The lead franchisee is a Microsofter that seemed totally unfazed about the multi-million dollar startup cost of the franchise as well as just going out and outright buying a building to house it in. (and the prospect of doing it twice more after that) (Yay noveau rich not being asshats for once!)
Ultimately, they want 3(!) TechShops in Seattle.
The first TechShop is going in in the next 3-6 months, probably in Georgetown. Hypothetical subsequent locations: Eastside and somewhere further North
The franchise TechShops will all have brand new equipment and will be open 24/7.
The pricing structure will be the same as the existing store: $100 a month. There are 'corporate' memberships where 3 named people have access to the shop and 2 of them can be there at a time. Corp membership is about $160 a month or so. (I would totally go in on a corp membership with other people, that's something like $60 a month, cheaper than cable)
There will be a strong emphasis upon building networks amongst the TechShop users and helping to foster communities with similar interests.
There will be a nationwide Wiki system to hold information about the equipment and to pool knowledge of how to do things.
Each franchise store will have an identical core set of equipment. Also a membership will be valid at any Techshop, not unlike a health club membership. The members that frequent each Techshop will be consulted about what non-standard equipment is at each store.
They strongly encourage people to develop and teach classes there and help with the curriculum design. (some examples, carbon fiber construction, build a hot rod(yes, you read that right. TechShop shows you how to source the parts & buys them for you, you build the car and TechShop recoups the cost by Ebay-ing the finished car)) Sounds like they could use some DIY bike fab classes...
Legal help in patenting inventions
Here's a rather breathless list of what you can do at TechShop (from the back of the flyer I picked up)
large milling machines
MIG, TIG, arc welders
plastics working
CNC milling machines
lathes and tooling
cut, join & print textiles
digital video editing
metal fabrication
electronics design
radio controlled cars, airplanes & boats
blow molding
automotive projects
kids programs
take lots of classes
do science experiments
hack lots of stuff
learn & build robotics
precision layout
cut & form sheet metal
plasma cutters
thousands of hand tools
learn blacksmithing
industrial design
vacuum form plastics
fiberglass and carbon fiber
cast plastics and metals
bend wrought iron
use exotic plastics
learn how to fix stuff
painting & finishing
use a sandblaster
make circuit boards
cut stuff with lasers
Lego Mindstorms & Vex
melt and form glass
soldering equipment
build your inventions
use a 3D ABS printer
stereo lithography
powder coat your parts
silkscreen shirts
keyway cutters
build a go-cart
make fighting robots
rotational casting
heavy sewing machines
car & motorcycle lifts
PIC microcontrollers
make a mini-bike
take your bike apart (ed: they totally need a DIY bike class)
make wearable circuits (ed: Free Logan Intl plane tickets included)
learn about physics
injection molding
build a real hot rod (ed: real class, parts are paid for by Ebay-ing the finished hot rods afterwards)
do life casting
build sculptures
make tools & equipment
bin wall full of stuff (ed: wow, imagine a full warehouse wall full of free scrap and doodads you can use for projects)
adhesives and coatings
build a scale model engine
blow mold a bottle
learn CAD/CAM
design & make jewelry
harden & temper metals
desktop milling machines
make(!) a water jet cutter
build a custom chopper
make enclosures
build drive trains
build tesla projects
make tanks and fenders
etc...
keyholefish
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:17 am
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 268Location: somerville, ma
that there is a mighty impressive list to have all in one place. it would take me weeks or more to find that stuff scattered all over the place at school. When I relocate to seattle in dec, Ill see if anyone wants to split the corporate
Foo
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:30 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Not all of that stuff will be at the Seattle location from the get-go. The core equipment set hasn't been decided yet (the franchise idea is just taking off) but will definitely include milling/ lathes, CAD/CAM, welding and the like. More exotic things like injection molding, car dynamometers, and other expensive, special purpose things will appear if there is sufficient demand.
The core equipment list should be finalized in the next few weeks.
Here's an equipment list from the front of the flyer (most of which I assume will be in the core equipment set)
hand tools
milling machines (heavy duty ones like Bridgeport)
lathes
welders
grinders
electronics development and testing equipment
plasma cutters
3D printer
laser cutter
sheet metal equipment
precision layout tools
scales
blacksmithing tools
casting equipment
saws
drill presses
sanders
air tools
a sand blaster
finishing equipment including painting and powdercoating
workbenches
Also, for those who can't swing a membership, I'd be happy to do the occasional project for you in return for material cost and some beer or something.
Foo
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:33 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Oh, yeah, as an example of another class they have in the SF store, a woman there figurd out how to tune the laser cutter to bleach the dye out of bluejeans without harming the fabric and teaches people how to bleach these beautiful fractal patterns into jeans. I see potential for .83 branding.
Another that I mentioned before was using the english wheel setup to make bike fenders. Imagine copper or anodized aluminum fenders with custom engraving. BLING!
n_claw
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:57 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2007Posts: 517Location: the only hill: Beacon
Foo wrote:
Oh, yeah, as an example of another class they have in the SF store, a woman there figurd out how to tune the laser cutter to bleach the dye out of bluejeans without harming the fabric and teaches people how to bleach these beautiful fractal patterns into jeans. I see potential for .83 branding.
Another that I mentioned before was using the english wheel setup to make bike fenders. Imagine copper or anodized aluminum fenders with custom engraving. BLING!
FRACTALS! I was given an early love of fractals as the child of a mathemetician. They are fonder to me than care-bears or disney animals.
The Round Table in Renton?! Jesus. I haven't been there since... 1990.
My guess that's a hint that the place will probably not be a quick bike spin from downtown - not surprising given the rental costs around Seattle.
[edit] If anyone else here is keen to attend, you should email jim@techshop.ws with the subject "I Want to Come to the Seattle Pizza Party" to RSVP. There are too many people interested for him to respond but I'm sure the headcount will be appreciated. So far, the interest level is far exceeding their expectations. I can only take that as a good sign.
Did anyone go to the meeting? Any news to report?
Foo
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:08 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Ummmmmm......
OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume JoeBall isn't trolling me.
So, the page+ long post meeting report up there wasn't enough for ya?
PS: for anyone interested, I haven't heard any further developments yet. I just emailed the TechShop head honcho to make sure my email addy was on their mailing lists.
joeball
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:35 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
The meeting note got lost in the static. I skimmed past it since it looked like it had a copy-past looking list at the bottom of it.
Foo
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:05 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Alright,
For those interested, here's the latest developments regarding TechShop forwarded from my inbox to you!
Hello everyone,
As promised, we now have a mailing list set up to keep you updated on the progress of TechShop Seattle.
We’ve met many of you at the pizza party hosted by Jim Newton in Seattle several weeks ago, but for those of you who we haven’t met a brief introduction is in order. Mark Ramberg and John Messec are the local TechShop partners who are working on bringing a TechShop to Seattle. Mark currently works as the Director of IP Strategy at Microsoft, and John is a former Microsoft Development Manager.
It has been an exciting couple of weeks. We had a meeting in Menlo Park with the rest of the group of partners that are opening the first 10 TechShop stores over the coming year. Several decisions came out of that meeting that we’d like to share:
- The TechShop at Menlo Park was opened with used equipment. All new stores, including the Seattle location, will be opened with brand new equipment.
- We now have an official target date for the store opening in Seattle: July 4, 2008. 250 days and counting!
- TechShop will be offering a vastly increased set of classes. Look for everything from classes on in-depth machining to ‘How to Build a Hot Rod’.
- The store size we will be looking at is about 25,000 sq ft. This is in contrast to the Menlo Park location which is about 15,000 sq ft. This will give us much more room for private storage and work spaces as well as more flexibility for a great layout.
We have also set up a web site at http://www.TechShopSeattle.com. There is not much on the site at this point other than list management functions, but keep an eye out in the coming months for more information regarding our local TechShop. For those of you who may be interested in investing in TechShop Seattle, there is a separate mailing list on the site which you can sign up for.
Between now and July we will be looking for volunteers to help build out the TechShop site, people who may be interested in working at TechShop, and people who may be interested in teaching classes at TechShop. If you or someone you know is interested, please let us know.
Mark and John can be reached directly at the e-mail addresses listed below.
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
Out of curiosity, is this John Messec a fairly tall lanky guy? I worked with a John Messec in the Windows Server group for a while, but at the time he was just a developer and not a developer manager. He had an espresso machine in his office. Cool guy.
Foo
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:44 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
IIRC, one guy was tall and lanky, kind of quiet. The other was more of the stereotypical rotund bearded computer guy. I don't remember which name went with which guy, though.
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evilmike
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sorry, can't make it!
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could suck the fun out of a blowjob
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