Good ideas. Reading all this indicates, that it might also be a good idea to build a mini storage right next door for people to put their wood working projects in during their off time so they aren't having to haul everything home and its not messing up the shop daily. Maybe discounted storage for those who have monthly or yearly memberships. Full price for the one time users.
cuyeda:
You've got the right idea. This would not be a tool rental place. The tools cost nothing to rent. Its the time and space that costs... The tools are there to entice people to rent the space. There would indeed be stalls. I envision a large fenced property with lean-to or carwash style stalls with cement floors and a work bench in each one. Out front would have a community parts washer. Each stall would be outfitted with compressed air outlets that come from a central compresser. There might even be one of the stalls that has a pit. I figure with enough land I would start with 5 or 6 stalls for the auto side. The wood working side would be a decent sized warehouse with room to build if need be.
Steve_cox:
The idea isn't an original one. When I was in the Navy, the MWR folks had a facility like this on base. People that lived in the barracks or in base housing could take their vehicles there to work on them. They also had a woodshop side. I too used to enjoy hanging out there helping friends work on their vehicles.
Toypusher:
Your absolutely right. I wouldn't even begin to try to create my own documents. I would definitely need a lawyer thats well versed in insurance lawsuits to create the documents for me.
Bristol Delica:
I believe you were part of another post here regarding a Garage that reminded me of the facility on the Navy Base I lived at.
Gary J:
How does the club version work? Is it individuals donating tools so that as a group they collectively have all the tools they need?
More thougts:
I don't change my own oil anymore because crawling under a car sucks and disposing of used oil is getting more difficult. 1 bay with a pit and all the appropriate tools and a cheap enough fee might encourage people like me to use the facility to do their own oil changes again. The used oil collected could heat the auto bay's and the shop in the winter. The auto bays might be better off like a carwash with doors on both ends. Can open both doors and pressure wash them out periodically.
If the turn out was good from the start, I could afford some fancier tools like a C&C machine for cutting out parts. Someone trying to create their own inventions could use the facilities to get themselves started. Or people could download a teardrop profile with the codes included, (purchased from possibly T&TTT?) bring those codes and wood in and cut their profiles out in minutes.
For those wanting to weld a trailer frame together but don't want to buy a welder for that one project can come and cut their parts out and build their trailer on site.