@jiggliemon mentioned this idea in another thread and it would be a really great thing for us to have available to members –
Basically, when you are going to use at Asmbly, what’s in your go bag? This would be items like consumables Asmbly does not guarantee or specialty tools that are handy to have for most work in that shop area.
I believe @stepho created one for Textiles in regards to sewing, but as far as I know we don’t have one for any other shop area.
Steps to complete this task:
Pick a shop area/use case (e.g. general woodworking, welding, machining, wood turning, lasering, etc).
Create a Google Doc with items you recommend a member have and why. Include links to at least 1 option of where to acquire this item. Bonus points for providing variety in local vs online source and high end vs good enough options.
Share the Google Doc here for community input and collaboration.
For what it’s worth, I have been making a list of necessary tools required for making this bench project. It’s intended to be a living document. Adding tools as we discover what’s needed to make basic cuts/measurements.
Folks, please reconsider this or, if you do, have some kind of high-accountability checkout process for pre-stocked “go” kits.
You’re asking novice users to invest in $60-100 worth of tools they do not own and do not have the expertise to purchase when they’re just getting into this.
It’s also not a solution to the problem. For many people a full set of torx drivers or a 15/32" drill is effectively as far out of reach as a $3000 laser, because they don’t know what they need, don’t want to own it and can’t justify the expense. There is obvs a limit (eg full set of letter/number drills) but even with a “go” kit you won’t have (off the top of my head) a full hole saw set, security driver bits, wire brushes, metric and US sockets, etc.
I’m sorry for double posting this point, but the fact that shrinkage is in tools that lack a proper home or are wear items – and not in expensive items – means it’s a system failure not a trust failure.
I’d urge you to first run the experiment of having a well-organized tool wall and an inventory process to quantify the cost and time budget of having a properly stocked workshop even if it meant holding off a bit on a $6000 part for the fiber laser.
Hey @mrflip, I think you missed the part on the other thread where I already said we ordered the items you noted.
The task outlined here is is not intended to be a “you must acquire these to be capable” kit (although some specifics will be, e.g. buying specialty items needed for tasks you do). It is a “here are common things that are extremely helpful to have for these shop areas that you may want to consider having your own supply of.” I have a bag like this that I bring with me when lasering as it just makes everything I do at Asmbly and at home easier. It is not realistic to expect that Asmbly can provide everything for every use case a member may have, and for what we do provide there will always be the “others have used this and therefore condition cannot be fully guaranteed” caveat.
Bonus points for providing variety in local vs online source and high end vs good enough options.