TechShop

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TechShop is a member-based workshop in located in Silicon Valley in Menlo Park, California that lets people of all skill levels come in and use industrial tools and equipment to build their own projects.

The tools and equipment offered by TechShop include:

manual and CNC milling machines and lathes.
welding equipment including MIG, TIG, gas, arc and spot welders.
sheet metal fabrication equipment.
a 4-foot by 8-foot CNC plasma cutter that can cut 1/2" steel plate.
oscilloscopes and other electronics equipment.
a variety of equipment for working with plastics and composites, including carbon fiber.
two Epilog Laser Helix 45W laser cutter / engraver units.
a Dimension 3D printer that builds objects by depositing fine layers of ABS plastic via fused deposition modeling.

TechShop offers safety and basic usage training on all the tools and equipment, and on various other topics. Most classes take one hour and cost $30; some classes have an additional materials fee, typically $5.

TechShop membership is available for $100 per month, $1200 for a year allowing use of all equipment (though for some machines, the safety and basic usage class must be completed first). A day pass is available for $30. There are also "family" and "corporate" memberships for a discounted price.

TechShop annually participates in the Bay Area Maker's fair. They have machine demonstrations and classes available during the two day fair.