Techshop

HAVE YOUR PARTIES AND EVENTS HERE!
Wish I’d held my wedding reception here. I’m not kidding!
The staff is incredibly helpful, the price to rent the space is extremely reasonable, and you are sure to have a wonderful experience. I held my husband’s birthday surprise party here and it could not have been more organized.
We were not locked to some kind of catering contract, so we brought in our favorite food, instead of some dry nonsense that was overpriced.
One thing that folks tend to overlook if they do host a party is ensuring the space is the right size for your group. Because the conference/​party space was designed to be customizable you will never feel as though it is too big or too small. Great experience, great staff, and the maker space is exciting for your guests.
These guys are amazing and the space is top notch!

Have you ever wanted to make something and just didn’t know where to do it or how to start? Maybe you’d like to replicate something you’ve already seen, or you have a new idea, and maybe you even want to start a company around that idea. Well, here’s the answer to all of your dreams!
Techshop is a «maker lab» for, well, making just about anything. For a daily or monthly or yearly fee, you get access to over $ 1M in equipment. This ranges from a full metal workshop, welding, paint booth, powder coat booth and ovens, wood shop, lasers, 3D printers, waterjet, bicycle repair, plastic mold making, CNC router, vinyl cutting, wood planer, lathe, drill press, joiner, planer, a fabric and sewing shop, electronics and arduino area, and a bunch of computers.
So, want to make a sofa? Do it here. There are people fabricating furniture, an airplane, numerous plaques and awards, computers, cases for things, metal parts for motorcycles, etc. If you can dream it up, you can fabricate it here!
Techshop employs a great staff who are very helpful. The staff is really something that sets techshop apart, both because they are nice and knowledgeable, and they also keep the equipment up reasonably well and are on hand to answer questions at all times.
To use the equipment you need to first take a course which ranges in price from $ 25 – 200. The courses are usually okay, but sometimes kind of boring. In metal shop we, for instance, made a useless metal box. In CNC router class we made a gear out of mdf.
The main hurdles to using the shop are material transport and storage. Storage lockers are difficult to get, expensive to rent, and most of them aren’t really that big either. Another obstacle is scheduling, as sometimes people don’t show up for reservations so equipment sits unused when you might need it, or equipment is booked up for weeks and it’s difficult to get time to use it. And lastly, other members can be a bit off-​putting, although they are usually not bad. I’ve run into some really horrible members lately who were extremely rude about equipment reservations. Some members are very careless with equipment, and it is frustrating when people break things and to leave rather than notifying staff so it can be repaired.
Generally come here with an open mind, ready to learn and pass on knowledge to others. It’s a cooperative place. For an environment like this, it is a central to be social and to share with others. I think people should expect ask other people about their projects and to help other people with their projects, as well as be asked and be helped with their own projects. No matter how good your plan is going in, you can always do better. It’s also essential to be courteous, clean up your space, and make the tech shop usable for everyone else… which I mention because it is a constant source of frustration.
Other benefits include free freshly popped popcorn and fresh brewed coffee, meeting rooms, and computer labs. The computers are loaded with helpful programs, all free to use with your membership!
The meeting rooms are difficult to use without prior approval from management because you need to badge in to get into the text shop; and as a result can meet with other techshop members, or make a reservation well in advance for outsiders to come in.
Parking in the garage is free after 4pm.
I guess I should admit that I love Techshop so much that I want it all to myself. So I delayed writing this review for several months… In the name of research of course! They offer free tours every hour on the hour, so do yourself a favor and stop by. The shop is surrounded by a number of great eating places like We’ve the Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery, as well as Chick-​fil-​A and Ted’s Montana Grill.
Techshop’s motto is «this is where your dreams are made». I think this is true. The shop doesn’t have everything in the entire world that you might need, but it definitely has enough to get you started. And if you live in a tiny DC apartment like I do, this is the next best thing to having your own giant workshop. It’s almost a necessity for any inner city dweller who has an inventive mind and a will to get things done!

TechShop is a playground for engineers, artists, mechanics, designers, and hobbyists alike. There are no limits to what can be accomplished with the equipment and technology made available by TechShop, but it’s community is what really makes this place special.