Open access metal/wood shop opens in Boston area

[axolotl]

One of my son's college classmates has established a non-profit
community shop/workspace in Somerville.

http://artisansasylum.com/

This is a good and useful thing, and I hope those in the area will
support it.

Kevin Gallimore

[Lewis Hartswick]

What a terrible "About Us" page I tried to leave a comment
and there doesn't appear to be a "send" button.
...lew...

[Jim Wilkins]

These people had one and closed it, not sure why.
http://www.brentwoodmachine.com/

jsw

[axolotl]

I just sent a message- it works for me (the button says "submit").

As far as the web page goes, Gui is an ME, not an ECE :)

I met Gui (my son's classmate) when his family and mine ended up at the
Charles River Museum of Industry on Parent's Weekend.
The museum, as you probably know, has a working shop in the back. The
kids had never seen a shaper, and a little bench shaper was on two 4x4s
on the floor. The Docent (bless him), seeing that the kids were
interested, fired up the shaper. So Eric and Gui were down on the floor,
watching the metal curl.
Anyway, the young men and women that go/went to Olin do interesting
things, and this is one of them.

Kevin Gallimore

[jeff_wisnia]

Jim Wilkins wrote:

A similar shop opened up here in the Boston area 5 to 10 years ago but
it closed down pretty quickly.

The rumors were that the liability issues were too difficult to avoid
and/or the insurance premiums were sky high.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

[steamer]

--For a little more on what works you might want to check out how
they're paying the bills at TechShop, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area
in California. http://techshop.ws/

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Didja see my stuff
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : at 2010 Maker Faire??
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

[axolotl]

On 6/22/2010 3:45 PM, steamer wrote:
> --For a little more on what works you might want to check out how
> they're paying the bills at TechShop, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area
> in California. http://techshop.ws/
>

The big difference appears to be that the Asylum is set up as a
nonprofit. Hopefully the kids (young men and women, I'm showing my age)
will make a success of it.
How has your experience been with the TechShop? What would you change?

Kevin Gallimore

[Jim Wilkins]

On Jun 22, 8:53 pm, axolotl <mungedke...@shorecomp.com> wrote:
> ...

If someone is looking for woodworking and painting experience they
might consider joining a community theatre group. I was the master
carpenter for one for a while and taught quite a few people the
relatively simple skills involved.

There can be considerable room for creativity if the set design is a
scribble on an envelope -- and I've gotten those from New York
professionals.

The painting is crude, sloppy and fun. The nearest audience member who
can see your work is maybe 50 feet away. The art director and I did a
fake Jackson Pollack that we quartered after the show (it looks the
same all over) and one panel has been moving around the art scene at a
decent price.

jsw

[steamer]

axolotl <munge...@shorecomp.com> wrote:
>The big difference appears to be that the Asylum is set up as a
>nonprofit. Hopefully the kids (young men and women, I'm showing my age)
>will make a success of it.
>How has your experience been with the TechShop? What would you change?

--Wellll it's too far for me (80 miles each way) so I don't go but
some folks I know from various places started it and they seem to be happy
with how it's working out. There are plans to start other chapters but all
of them seem to be south of San Francisco; nothing for us northerners yet..

[axolotl]

+1 from Jersey. Learn construction, illusion, and working to a deadline.
If the production needs it, work in metal, too. Get experience with
lights and sound, if one is so inclined.

Kevin Gallimore