Interested in founding a local “Maker Space” - any experiences?

[Pete Staehling]

I’ve looked into makers spaces in my area and after this Covid thing, may get more serious about it. The most promising one is located about 45 minutes away...not the most convenient, but not a deal breaker. The thing I like about this place is they offer a daily rate of $45 or 10 visits for $300. Individual memberships are around $1100/year and I can’t justify that. Being able to use a band saw for resawing or a jointer to prep stock from time to time would be nice. In other words, I don’t need a full shop, just a few specific machines now and again. My income to them would probably be in the $100/year, plus whatever they charge to test/certify my use of a machine.

Hopefully they will survive the pandemic and I can look into using them later in the year.

I hadn't looked into the prices of maker spaces. I really can't see myself shelling out that kind of $$$. I got started on about what a year's membership apparently is for a maker space. With those few tools I worked out of a tiny corner of my basement. When I moved to a larger home with space for a bigger shop, selling my work (lutherie) paid for machines and hand tools. When I didn't have indoor space decades earlier I built a few small boats outdoors with very few tools.

I may not fit the typical profile here since I am not the typical woodworker. I have funded my shop building travel sized mountain dulcimers. I tinker with a lot of other projects, but don't typically build furniture. I might turn a few segmented bowls or make some little boxes in a given week. I have built some outdoor furniture when I needed it. I build other stuff when the mood strikes me. I seldom build big projects, but may build a boat again some time.

I think I'd be inclined to just make do with a bag of hand tools before I'd shell out $1100 a year to work in a shared shop space. On the other hand, hours that allowed working at night with power tools or at least at the crack of dawn with no worries of noise complaints might go a long way toward selling me on it.

A modest fee for limited access might tempt me just so I could use things that I might not have like a full size metal lathe, weld shop, etc. The daily $45 or 10 days for $300 may leave me just farming out those kind of jobs to a local welder or machinist even for jobs I have the skills to do myself.

Sorry for rambling on.

[Dave Sabo]

I wholeheartedly agree clubs, co-ops shared space ect....things are fun , worthwhile, and and have an audience.

Problem is , those don't really fit in a "business" framework. Especially when you need to raise capital out of the gate to get one off the ground.

Pete illustrates my view on why they just aren't viable long term , especially in small population areas:

I really can't see myself shelling out that kind of $$$ & A modest fee for limited access might tempt me

I'd say he represents a target customer - modest knowledge and equip., but could utilize a few bigger or larger pieces once in a while. But........ money is always a factor.


Steve, what would you feel is a modest fee for access ? $45/hr with no other commitment or obligation seems pretty reasonable to me. Go to your local Depot or other tool rental center and see what you can rent for $45/hr. that's comparable to the space you have access to . I'm not picking on you, merely using your comments as validation of how I think a lot of potential customers for these things look at the value proposition of them.

The only thing that seems to get any kind of traction is the social component or just plain ol' space for well healed city dwellers. Even then, the ones mentioned and that I've seen that are sustaining all seem to have some sort of outside revenue stream keeping them afloat. Which means as a startup business they're stinkers in cities and downright losers in most of the rest of the country.