Alright:

Initial Equipment
- Laser Etcher/Cutter- Can always come in handy
-CNC mill - Great for making anything custom plus millions other reasons
-Wood-working equipment
-Traditional Metal-working equipment
-Lots of programming and design software
-Lots of electronic equipment and electronic prototyping hardware
-equipment for working with fiberglass and carbon fiber
-Beer/Beverage fridge
-rent-able work areas/pods
Later Equipment
-3D Printer - coolest thing on the planet, but unfortunately not in the
necessary category (if services needed more imediate contact me)
-3D scanner - see reasoning for "3D printer"


Not necessarily equipment, but an easy way of ordering supplies, say through a bulk discount or through the shops digikey account for example, maybe a component vending machine?

Shouldn't consumable supplies be provided by the individual? I think that once we get a large enough group/space, we could think about buying in bulk and selling supplies on our own. I love the idea of a vending machine full of components, wire, board, and solder, though.

i'm not sure i'd put a laser etcher on the top of the "realistic" list. or a CNC mill


my list:

band saw
drill press
table saw
wood lathe
metal lathe
oxy/actl torch kit
wire feed welding setup
angle grinder
anvils
scroll saw
circular saw
jig saw
recrip saw
hand drill
air compressor
air tools
misc wood and metal hand tools
extension cords, lots
mapp torch
butane soldering iron
mill
planer
jointer
thicknesser
sand/bead blaster
reprap

bench soldering station ventilation
benchtop soldering irons
multi voltage bench top power supplies
multi-meters, hand held
benchtop test equiptment (osciloscope, multi meters, etc)

sewing maching
heavy duty sewing machine
serger
padded table (sewing layout)

design work station (with autocad, maybe inventor, eagle, etc)

"office" computer for managing the shop

"office" computer for managing membership/business stuff

wish list, CNC mill, CNC printer, laser etcher, water jet cutter,

A rerap might suffice in place of a full on CNC mill at startup

My default would be a Sherline CNC mill instead of reprap.

Also, I noted through some tangential searches motivated by other posts on this site that Epilog has a small laser engraver/cutter (the Zing) with list price of just 8k. That is not too far from my own mental pipe-dream price point for acquiring one for personal use (subsidizing a bit with low volume farmed out engraving for family and friends.)

from NYC Resistors site:

"Financing
What do we want to spend?

7 people raised their hands to put in $1000, 2 for $500. That's $8k right there.
How do we feel about leasing?

Leasing one would run about $250 a month. Generally its a 5-year lease. There are various leases, and we could get a 12 month lease as well.
How do we feel about leasing-to-own?

This is one of the most attractive options. We put money down, we pay monthly for the laser, and at the end, we have an option to purchase.

Not only that, but lease payments are *TAX DEDUCTIBLE!*. We could totally write off our laser cutter. That would be sick.
"


http://wiki.nycresistor.com/wiki/Laser_Cutter

I think they ended up getting a Epilog Mini 24 35W, not sure how they paid for it.

3d printers are available for under 5k now, but i'm not sure we would "need" one.

i can justify a cnc mill a lot easier than a laser engraver.
would it be cool to have? yes.
what can i make with it that i can't make w/o it? not much.

8K will buy a lot of hand tools, power tools and some really nice electroplating and acid etching equipment and safety gear that will accomplish the same thing, and lots more, and that more folks can use at once.

remember we're looking at startup here, not ideal. if this flies, i'd hope that we have 2 laser cutters within a couple of years, but in thinking about what a shop to build anything in from the get go, making my moleskine smoke is not as critical as being able to accurately cut schedule 40 pipe or rip a 16' 2x12, or test the voltage output on a small circuit.

personally, i'd like to see a -big- *stable* reprap sorta thing similar to a cnc water jet table but with 5 axis control and interchangable heads. plunk on the mill head and it's that, swap in the laser it's that, slap in a glue gun it's a 3d printer, etc.

while we're wishing i'd also like a cedar hot tub (wood fired) in my yard this evening, and a bottle of dalwhinnie distiller's edition and an ashton vsg enchantment cigar but that's not gonna happen.

Most of Metis' list is an excellent roundup of vital basic tools. Without the basics it simply wouldn't be a shop. There's nothing worse than starting a project then looking around to discover that you don't have a tool you need. The tools we seek will have a great deal to do with our vision, of course, but things like band saws, anvils, torches, welders, sanders and stuff are going to be important for just about anything involving metal makery.

I know just about everyone would love to have a CNC/reprap and a laser engraver on-site. Big tools like that would bring in a much wider variety of folks due to their relatively rare availability for public use. Investing a good chunk of startup funding for one may be a good idea as long as the basics are accounted for as well. It'd really depend on how much funding is available, where it comes from, and whether or not we can get any accommodations from local businesses that retail or are looking to get rid of things.

I don't know. The LASER-engraver is totally sexy. All by itself, it would draw in *some* members. I don't know that it would pay for itself that way, but it might bring it down to the point that we're willing to pony up the difference.

i entirely agree, i'm just not sure that it's on the "realistic" version of the list. we clearly need some "anchor" tools, but is that going to bring in more than mill? or a full welding setup? or a serger?