Fab Workshop — Equipment Parts Ledger
Running ledger of equipment we'd want IF we built our own workshop. Tracks frequency of need (from outsourced jobs we run), cumulative outsource spend per capability, and ROI threshold (the point at which buying beats outsourcing).
Usage
When we send a job to an outsourced fab service:
- Add a row to
## Outsource logbelow — date, service, capability, cost, what we made - Update the corresponding row in
## Equipment wishlistwith the new tally + cost - When cumulative outsource spend on a capability exceeds the equipment's purchase price, flag it as "ROI met"
Outsource log
| Date | Service | Capability | Cost | Project | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| none yet |
Equipment wishlist
Tracks "if we owned this, what would it replace and what does it cost":
| Equipment | Cost (new) | Replaces capability | Outsource jobs to date | $ spent to date | ROI threshold | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab A1 (FDM 3D printer) | $300 | Slant 3D / Xometry FDM prints | 0 | $0 | $300 (~6-10 jobs) | not bought |
| Bambu Lab P1S (enclosed FDM, multi-color) | $700 | Slant 3D / Xometry color/PETG | 0 | $0 | $700 | not bought |
| Elegoo Mars 5 (resin 3D printer) | $300 | Resin/SLA outsource | 0 | $0 | $300 | not bought |
| Cricut Maker 4 (paper/vinyl/light wood) | $500 | Sticker/packaging mockup print | 0 | $0 | $500 | not bought |
| xTool S1 (laser cutter, 40W) | $2,000 | SendCutSend wood/acrylic laser | 0 | $0 | $2,000 (~30-50 jobs) | not bought |
| Glowforge Aura (small laser) | $1,200 | SendCutSend small parts | 0 | $0 | $1,200 | not bought |
| Onefinity / Shapeoko (CNC router, mid-size) | $2,500 | Xometry CNC small parts | 0 | $0 | $2,500 | not bought |
| Tormach mill (real CNC) | $20,000+ | Xometry CNC precision parts | 0 | $0 | $20,000 | not bought |
Decision rules
- Buy when cumulative outsource spend on that capability ≥ equipment cost (single-capability ROI met)
- OR Buy when frequency of need ≥ 1× per week (workflow drag dominates cost)
- OR Buy when iteration speed becomes the bottleneck (e.g., Squarely puzzle prototype where 1-week shipping kills the design loop)
Capability map (which service to send what)
| What we want made | Best outsource | Typical cost | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDM 3D print (PLA, PETG) | Slant 3D | $5-50 | 3-7d |
| Resin / SLA 3D print | Shapeways, Sculpteo | $20-200 | 7-14d |
| Sheet metal / wood / acrylic laser | SendCutSend | $20-200 | 1-3d |
| CNC machined part (aluminum/steel) | Xometry | $50-500 | 5-15d |
| Injection molded part (small run) | Xometry, Protolabs | $1000+ tooling, $0.50-5/part | 20-40d |
| 3D print + finishing (production) | Slant 3D | volume-priced | 5-10d |
| Custom PCB + small assembly | JLCPCB, PCBWay | $20-200 | 7-14d |
Account checklist (founder-side, ~10 min total)
- SendCutSend — sendcutsend.com → create account (sheet/laser primary)
- Xometry — xometry.com → create account (CNC + 3D + injection molding instant quotes)
- Slant 3D — slant3d.com → create account (production FDM)
- JLCPCB or PCBWay — only if/when we go electronic
Once accounts exist, I can drive file uploads via the Chrome MCP for quote-fetching workflows; ordering still requires founder payment auth.
Related
- [[../01-projects/squarely-puzzles/README]] — physical puzzle prototypes will load this ledger first
- [[../01-projects/home-rebuild-2027/README]] — custom built-ins / hardware brackets may load this
- [[../06-reference/2026-04-28-anthropic-creative-mcps]] — the trigger event (Anthropic Blender/Fusion/SketchUp MCPs announcement)