Tech shop

I want to run a Techshop rather badly. Its what I think about when things are quiet. It's what I ponder as I fall asleep... on my way to work... when I'm standing in lines. A business that is in the business of innovation.  A Hackerspace... all grown up and mainstreamed.

In my daydreams, I picture owning such a place, with workbenches with ventilation hoods for soldering, painting, glass etching, and other little projects... With large open spaces to work on bigger projects... a spray paint closet, a whole BANK of 3d additive fabbers, cnc reductive fabbers, and vacuum press molding machines. I picture having a kiln in one corner, and a hydraulic car lift in another. Woodworking over here, and welding over there, Computer sewing machines in this side, laser etching and cutting machines on that side. I'd hire machinists, art and shop teachers, general "Maker" culture types to run the place. Private lockers would be available for project storage, a few of them big enough to store a car in.

Essentially One giant hackerspace to encourage people to come and learn how to make their own future.  A metal fabrication shop, a machinists playground, a shop class as designed by shop teachers with unlimited budgets.


I'd have a Coffee shop built into one side where people can wait for the 3d printer to finish, or for their paint to dry. I picture my wife and daughters as the barista's. I even see a place in the coffee shop for kids to play so their parents can work.

And there I'd be, Ground zero in an explosion of innovation. Encouraging cleverness and creativity. Making my own projects, but more importantly helping others realize their own dreams. Always having the latest and best tools, and teaching others how to use them.