The Will to Fabricate & Apartment living

[Pixel_Outlaw]

So I'm thinking I may have to live in an apartment if I go taking work in larger cities.
One of my concerns is that apartment life is pretty much living in somebody elses' box and having no workshop.
It's really important for me to be able to do wood working and have real tools.
I don't really count 3D printers running for 6 hours and spitting out balls of tangled fishing line as something that would be an alternative.

I suppose with time I could buy a house on the outskirts of the city but then the commute might be hell.
Being single, affording one myself probably is far less ideal than joint income with a spouse.

So honestly, how are people who live in apartments supposed to own and use woodworking and power tools?
I guess some bigger cities have "hacker spaces" but I don't know much about that kind of thing.

I live in a small town where land is cheap and houses are very affordable.
It just seems like you lose so many freedoms when living in an apartment.

Just thought I'd ask since I've seen most people here living in apartments.
Then again maybe people just accept that they can't conveniently make anything.

[Stevens]

Don't know much about the hacker space, but yeah you do give up things to live in a city.

[Vexorg]

I've done a few projects at one of the local Makerspaces (Metrix Create:Space in Seattle) and found that the experience was resaonably good, but the prices were rather expensive (although I suspect a lot of that comes from the fact that they were located in a particularly high-rent area.) I just recently moved to a new house about 30 miles away from my job, and it does require a fair bit of time commuting, but not too much more than I was spending before. I do plan to put together a small workshop in my garage at some point (probably something like a small CNC router and a few other things), but moving into a house is a rather expensive proposition (especially since we had to buy several appliances when we moved in.)

From what I've seen, there are some places that do wood shop rentals, but those generally require certifications and monthly commitments. You'd almost certainly spend more in the long run than you might spend more to do that than you'd spend building a home workshop. Here's an example of one locally:

https://isgoodwoodworks.com/woodworking ... op-rental/

[Obscura]

Rent in a decent one-bedroom apartment and a monthly mortgage payment are about the same where I live. If you can afford the down payment, there's no reason not to just get a house. Commuting 30-45 minutes each way is totally worth not dealing with apartment living.

[ZacharyB]

If worse comes to worst, you can take a small section of an apartment and just set up a workbench there, with as many tools/power tools as you can stuff in that space. If you're single, it shouldn't be hard. It can overlap with the living room.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

In most larger cities you can find artists / makers studio spaces available to rent, giving you a place to work on projects and store all your kit. Of course it's not as convenient as having it where you live but if you can find somewhere reasonably close and reasonably priced (cost is usually defined by size, access to mod cons etc) it's a pretty decent way around it. If you're prepared to share with other people you'll get a better deal and it can be a good way to learn from others and get inspiration if you want to get creative.

Of course all of this is predicated on the idea of paying more rent, which might be better spent on just renting a bigger living space. All depends on what you can find really, it's a mixed bag. Also worth noting that some spaces won't allow certain materials (I once got turned down for a studio space because I would have aerosols on the premises )

[HydrogLox]

So I'm thinking I may have to live in an apartment if I go taking work in larger cities.
...
It's really important for me to be able to do wood working and have real tools.

Maybe you need to adjust your long term objectives. Taking this statement at face value and knowing that you'll likely spend most of your life "making a living" it may be more effective to somehow find a way to make "wood working" part of your "making a living" - rather than spending life and time "making a living" (and commuting) in order to support a "wood working habit" (which may seem to be the more wealthy option but is actually on the whole more exhausting). Just a thought - and I wasn't implying that it would be easy.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've read em all.
Looks like the maker spaces/workshops are fee based and I guess that would get kind of annoying. It looks to be a real option though.

So I'm thinking I may have to live in an apartment if I go taking work in larger cities.
...
It's really important for me to be able to do wood working and have real tools.

Maybe you need to adjust your long term objectives. Taking this statement at face value and knowing that you'll likely spend most of your life "making a living" it may be more effective to somehow find a way to make "wood working" part of your "making a living" - rather than spending life and time "making a living" (and commuting) in order to support a "wood working habit" (which may seem to be the more wealthy option but is actually on the whole more exhausting). Just a thought - and I wasn't implying that it would be easy.

My life is kind of a dichotomy in many directions right now.
My CS degree is pulling me in a direction that's really not me.
I know the dangers of "following your dreams" and turning a hobby into a ball and chain.
I love computers and writing programs but not the web/database stuff the corporate world leans on now.
Think it might have been a much better in the '90s when people were still writing desktop PC programs for end users.

I've been looking for employment in my city (not using my degree) but the average paycheck around here is $9 per hour.
That essentially forces me into an apartment anyway.
I've been out of work for a year and had to move back to my parent's house which is kind of shameful.

Eh, perhaps less exposition is better.
I've got a lot to detangle and maybe a forum post wasn't such a good idea.
Coffee and late night thinking may have gotten the better of me.