TechShop’s "Innovation Cathedral" Comes to San Francisco–Serving Craftsmen and Entrepreneurs on the Gold’s Gym Model

As a Web journalist, I don’t need many tools. Give me a laptop, a smartphone, and an Internet connection, and I’m basically a roving newsroom. But don’t ask me to make anything other than words: in my loft, the closest thing to a power tool is the kitchen blender. To build, say, a robot dog, I’d first have to spend thousands of dollars on design software and metalworking equipment.

Or at least, I would have until this week. Now there’s another option: I could just get a $100-per-month membership at TechShop http://techshop.ws/ , a craftsmen’s clubhouse that plans a "soft opening" of its new San Francisco location this weekend. TechShop has almost every conceivable tool at the ready, from design workstations to computer-controlled looms, laser cutters, commercial-grade sewing machines, welding equipment, injection molding machines, an electronics lab, and a full woodworking shop. It’s a DIY enthusiast’s paradise.

Wade Roush

Full Story: http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2010/12/16/techshops-innovation-cathedral-comes-to-san-francisco-serving-craftsmen-and-entrepreneurs-on-the-golds-gym-model/