Thread: Thoughts on setting up a workshop in Sydney

I pay $100 per year for membership at my Men's Shed. I have access to all that stuff and more. I also have access to the stuff that other members have at home and also access to all the accumulated talent of about 60 old blokes in all sorts of trades and professions, that's about 4200 years of accumulated experience.

Arder great idea but i would'nt put my house on it. I think there was something like this in Sydney previously.

You would have to find something that other community workshops dont offer and at a reasonable rate. For example in most parts of Sydney i can access all of these machines for less than 100 bucks a year.
Most woodworkers also have their own home workshop or ask for assistance from members of this forum.

I think that the OH and S induction for this type of concept would also be a killer.

check out http://www.woodnyou.com/Here in Braisbane. They have large machines that most people wouldn't have access to, and charge out their usage by the minute/hour. From memory, different machines cost different rates. SOmebody also can do the work for you (at an hourly rate) if you don't feel competent at a particular machine/job.

A ha! This sounds like a very good idea. The VWA used to have a setup like this, but recently they've limited applicants to students who've just come out of a related course. I'm keen to run a business out of somewhere like this. where I may perhaps even have a part time employee. I'm more than happy to donate my tools to the communal workshop (drill press, linisher, table saw, etc). I'd even be keen for metal workers to get involved. I guess what i'm saying is I miss the setup they had in high school many years ago, where if you needed a small job done the tools were right there for you. I'll keep a lookout on the thread, for whatever form it could take.

The Mens Sheds would make it very hard for this type of business to operate.

especially the one near you AlexS

I pay $100 per year for membership at my Men's Shed. I have access to all that stuff and more. I also have access to the stuff that other members have at home and also access to all the accumulated talent of about 60 old blokes in all sorts of trades and professions, that's about 4200 years of accumulated experience.

I pay $30 a year up here, and $2.00 a day for tea & bicckys, Jeff vk4

Arder
my thoughts

this type of arrangement has operated in Sydney in the past.
OH&S can be a real killer -- who is liable in the event of an incident with a power tool?

In respect to hand tools, my preference would be an expectation that users brought their own. As relationships built between users, specialist tools might be shared between mates but I think providing a full range of hand tools to those with little idea of how to use them is just a recipe for grief. Either you would spend your time sharpening chisels, or the next user gets to spend half their alloted time getting the basic tool kit back into working condition.

Access to bench space and secure storage whilst a project is built


Access to a decent jointer, thicky, table saw, band saw, panel saw, shaper, router and jigs would be great -- but I imagine a nightmare for the workshop manger. OH&S supervision would be a full time job.

Nice idea
I'm unlikely to play unless you have a piece of equipment that I would need occassionally or seldomly, like a 24 inch thicknesser and than it would be a simple in, run through the machine and then leave... I'd stop for a coffee if offered

Had a friend who tried it for fixing cars 20 years ago, Open 24 hrs so you could go there and fix your own car. They also did services on cars for you overnight. Think they ran 10 bays and they used 2 themselves. So you could get advise from proper mechanics. Went down the drain in 6 months. The serviceing made money but the rent on a 10 bay sevice centre killed it.

As this would be a paying service, I would imagine liability would weigh heavily on your shoulders. A chat with your insurance broker may dampen your enthusiasm somewhat.

Thanks for all the feedback. The idea came about after I was looking for a similar setup.

Living in an apartment close to Sydney city I don't have the space to setup a fully equipped shed/workshop... An absolute sacrilege I know!

I thought to myself there might be others like me.

I'm aware of Mens Sheds scattered around that offer a workshop, tools, coffee & 6000+ years of experience. However one needs to be 55+ and retired.

Being that I am 31 with retirement many years away I cannot join any Men's Sheds. Here is where I saw the opportunity for a workshop for all ages and skills and even the girls can come too!

I agree with Rustynail, Pacman & Ian the OH&S and public liability insurance factors could be a potential road block but certainly worth investigating.

In the mean time I still had some projects that I want to complete on the weekends requiring a thicknesser, drop saw and perhaps some tools.

Does anyone have any space in their workshop for an up and comer?

What about joining a woodworking club?

Or becoming a darksider? If you search the sawmillcreek forum you'll see plenty of yanks set up their 'shops' in apartments using knockdown workbenches and handtools.

Sam