I’ve now taken four classes at TechShop:
- Laser Cutting and Etching SBU (Safety and Basic Usage)
- Milling Machine SBU
- MIG Welding SBU
- Soldering
The SBU classes are intended to ensure that the student knows how to use the equipment safely, and are a prerequisite for using the equipment. They demonstrate very basic skills only.
I’ve enjoyed the classes I’ve taken very much. They were definitely informative. The class sizes are small, so each student gets individual attention and practice with the equipment.
I’m signed up for Metal Lathe SBU next week, and I intend to also take the TIG Welding SBU, Oxy-Acetylene Gas Welding and Cutting SBU, and 3D Printing SBU in the near future. TechShop will likely have some advanced usage classes in the future, and I’ll definitely take those as well.
I don’t know that I’ll actually be doing any welding in the near future, though I do expect to get a lot of use from the milling machines, laser cutter, and 3D printer. However, knowing how to weld seemed potentially worthwhile, and I always like learning new things. As Jim Newton, cofounder of Techshop, explains, the intention is to expand the student’s set of building blocks to make more projects possible.