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DIY repair shop

For all those tools that I can't have at home
  (+19, -1)(+19, -1)
(+19, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

I often have an item that I could repair if I had the right tool. Unfortunately, I haven't the time, space, or budget to keep a huge variety of tools, and usually have to throw it away. I would love to be able to go to a workshop where I can rent the tools I need just once in my life.
Voice, May 18 2007

workshop clubs Workshop_20Clubs
[po, May 18 2007]

Tool Library http://www.northportlandtoollibrary.org/
North Portland Tool Library, for free sharing of tools [mimz, May 18 2007]

DIY bicycle repair shop http://daviswiki.org/Bike_Forth
several such places exist for bicycles [swimswim, Jan 07 2011]

http://hackerspaces.org/ Widely baked (though not just for repairing stuff, but for making new stuff too). Click the wiki link to find one near you. [notexactly, Feb 04 2018]

Repair Cafe https://repaircafe.org/en/
[hippo, Feb 05 2018]

[link]






       Somebody could make a huge amount of money doing this in London where space is at such a premium and plenty of people are always looking for somewhere to carry out some DIY work.
colinwheeler, May 18 2007
  

       what like a Tool Hire shop? thats well baked surely.
po, May 18 2007
  

       I can't remember the name (and am not finding it on a cursory google), but I'm pretty sure theres something exactly like that here in Portland, OR. It may even be a collective where you join and then borrow stuff for free. I'll keep looking for a cite.
mimz, May 18 2007
  

       a bit like throwing your voice - who knows where it will land.
po, May 19 2007
  

       Christine was built in just such a shop.
nomocrow, May 20 2007
  

       You might need a bigger home, nothing like owning your own tools. I was just in the basement this morning saying hello to my dewalt 24v drill....   

       Most of the rental or free to borrow tools I have ever used have been worn out.   

       I gave you a + anyhow, because it is still a good idea.
rbl, May 20 2007
  

       hey, rbl. I was about to email you re the West Coast Halfcon idea!   

       what ARE you guys like, talking to your tools.
po, May 20 2007
  

       I love it! Home Depot's tool rental is for equipment that is either very expensive or very mission-specific, like a flooring nailer.   

       A shop with all the likely tools readily available, and all the more esoteric tools accessible, would be a huge boon to apartment dwellers. If it's somebody with a good grasp of what they're trying to do, then they can have their whole project in, done and out in a reasonable amount of time.   

       Cool. I'd pay for a booth and an electronics testing rig for a few hours.
elhigh, May 28 2007
  

       Certainly a great idea.   

       I have a great selection of tools, but when I need a lathe or something fancy, I'm either going at it with hand files or a dremel, or out of luck.   

       Health & Safety and (lack of) training are both going to be major issues, though.
Soapy, Jun 12 2007
  

       I'd say this is probably better than Home Depot, for one reason only (that I might be the only one thinking of): The potential to do the work there. Go in, rent some space for an hour or so, pay a fee for universal tool usage, fix your crap, and go home. No need for any tools or space in your own 30-sq-ft studio.
shapu, Jun 12 2007
  

       If I understand this correctly I am thinking that shop rental would be useful in terms of stuff like a lift so that you can work under the car and perhaps one of those machines that they use to mount tires and an alignment machine. These are not the things that you can rent down at the local Home Depot. Even with an air gun or air ratchet- you may not need it often enough to justify buying it and keeping it in your hall closet if you live in an apartment but it would be nice to be able to pull right into a service bay that you rent by the hour with access to anything and everything you need in order to work on the car.
Jscotty, Jun 12 2007
  

       Home Depot is the anti-christ. Every time you rent one of those tools, you are losing a piece of your soul.
IronyChef, Jun 14 2007
  

       The Car Talk guys (Tom & Ray Magliozzi, aka "Click & Clack, the Tappet Brothers) used to run a "Do it yourself" garage called "Hacker's Haven", until they decided that it wasn't profitable, and closed Hacker's Haven and opened the Good News Garage.
mwburden, Jan 07 2011
  
      
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