2.2 KiB
2.2 KiB
What problems are you trying to reunite into a solution?
- Farmers would like to do machinery customization and improvements beyond simple welding and cutting that they have
- Equipment increasingly needs precision in repair
- Farmers can't justify the high-tech tools to do these sorts of customizations, or at least, can't justify having them in a well-kept environment.
- Even if right-to-repair takes off, there will need to be spaces, or at least tool and knowledge hubs, by which to do these repairs.
- Doing this sort of work requires a certain critical mass of know-how in technical matters.
- Similar story with firearms and woodworkers.
- A lot of rural folk lack community, and need community based on shared material interests and goals rather than just ideas and fellowship.
- A lot of people are alienated from real productive work with their hands, and actually putting in labor to come into relationship with their things
Prior art / problems with previous solutions
- Makerspaces require a lot of maintenance and upkeep. This requires communal buy-in, not only financially, but in running a place.
- Projects often need large space. Rural problems are even bigger - sometimes even a planter big.
- Tool shares are great - until two people need the same tool.
Implementation ideas
- Members should be on a probationary period. Not just anyone should be able to come in.
- Members should pay-in; they should need to invest a serious amount of money ($10k?) simply to become a member. This does, however, give you voting rights in how the workshop progresses. There may need or desire to be varying tiers of ownership or buy-in. There may be recurring expenses which are passed onto the members.
- Utilize a large space on the outside of a town which doesn't have anticipated growth. This should form a good estuary between farmers and townsfolk, and allow for a large, easy-access facility while still being rooted in a town.
- A metalshop and a woodshop should be clearly and cleanly separated, with a wall, probably with a rolling door between the two.
- Tools may be loaned out or reserved - but doing so requires clear communication on the terms.
- Related to buy-in: someone can buy-in via donation of a tool.