I’m not sure if this issue has been discussed but I doubt that it has a forum dedicated to it. Team 573 goes through the entire build season without the use of a factory site to build the robot and it has been that way for almost every year. The resources and space provided by an off site build facility (machine shop, factory) is something that we haven’t had for years (we build it in the architecture/digital electronics room) and I personally am curious if any other teams do their building in a classroom as opposed to an off site machine shop. If so, what kinds of problems or lack there of has it caused you?
We to build our robot somewhat in a classroom, We build our robot in our schools wood and metal shop(which are together). We have used this space for the past two years and at the end of each day we work we have to clean up the shop for the classes the next day.
Same here, we use one of our school’s tech labs (metal/wood shop, computer lab, and classroom).
We also use a classroom (our programming / business lab). This caused a few minor problems, such as no power tools nearby (we had to go outside, so we didn’t cause saw dust and metal shavings to be in the carpet), and the fact that the long rows of tables are fixed in place with computers on them… so we had one long table to use, plus the hallway, and about half an hour of clean up everyday. But we managed.
We’ve moved around at our school. For the first four years, the team built in the back of one of the teacher’s rooms. In 2005, the school administration allowed us to use about 2/3 of a vacant classroom. In 2006, we were able to move to a room in the basement (a more convenient location for everything except testing actually) and we got that whole room to ourselves (I think that whole room might actually be smaller than the 2/3 of a room we had in 05, but at least it is all ours), plus access to a bit of extra space in an adjoining room that is used for storage. A little tiny room (probably used to be a janitors closet) off of the storage room is used for storing Vex stuff and has a few old computers running Ubuntu in it. Unfortunately, we’ve never been able to work in a sponsor’s shop or had access to a machine shop.
We use a classrooom, but we have a workshop on one half, so it’s good 
I soooo feel your pain we build in the Biology Lab at our school. We have no precision machining equipment. I guess that is why we build a lot out of 80/20 do not need a lot of equipment to construct with that. We get by though as I am sure you do. Personally who cares it all about the kids anyway and the looks on there faces when something works. It is just awesome.
yeah we also work in a classroom, a chemistry lab to be more specific. It’s not that bad actually…sure we don’t have any heavy machinery, but the lab tables provide a good surface to work on…
We have been given the convienience of some machinerey (bandsaw, sawzal, drill press) but yeah nothing too cutting edge or even average of most teams. We cut our metal and send it off to get welded to make the chassis.
Recently after a presentation to our school board. They gave us some basement space of the Administrative building. It is great to have a home!
BUT…We have a practice field set up for all teams to use in a vacant store. So thats where we built the robot this year. Last year we used a vacant dollar store that was generously rented to us.
It is located right by best buy and home depot…it is pretty convenient:D
Corey
LOL! Nice
XD Yeah, we also use the biology lab.
I love the robot. I’m sure we’ll all do fine 
Our team has a lab at our school to work. This is our room and we can leave our prototypes and tools out if we want. I personally like it because I can come before everyone gets there and get started and be able to get in because it is at the school. I figure that only a few students/mentors have a key to your offsite work spot. I really think a classroom is best for the team especially for those who do not drive (some students do not like bumming rides off others).
More than we do…Chopsaw and drill press here. Plus hand tools.
We’re really lucky, since we have a lot of equipment (I think). I know we have a welder that is “great” (XD long story), but other than that…*shrugs I know we have hand tools and stuff.
We have traditionally have built most of the robot in our schools auto shop and then finished at a small (basic) machine shop in my garage. Unfortunately, that has changed a little since our shop mentor has to leave early and we have no one who is “shop certified” to supervise us. So, more and more of the robot has been built in my garage.
The shop is useful to build during the school day and we have so decent equipment there (bandsaw, power tools, lathes, bridgeport mill, tig) but its not amazing ( no CNC 
). The tig usually get brought to my hose so we can still weld.
This year, my dad bought a warehouse space for his small construction company, so we had a lot of space to build a practice field and just work. the only dray back it is it is that it is a 15 min drive form the high school to the next town over. we were mostly there towards the end of build when we were doing a lot of testing.
We just use a regular classroom, so we have to move all of the desks outside and vacuum the carpet every day. We do have a drill press and a buffer on carts, so it’s not all bad.
The thing is, there is a nearly vacant (only a few periods of study hall) classroom that has no carpet, fewer desks, and more storage space, that the school won’t let us use.
we our lucky to have three classrooms to work in. (workshop, classroom, Comp. Lab) we also get a darkroom that they don’t use any more for storage. We don’t have a lathe though so we have an alumni get it done at his work and another alumni to do our welding.
We also use the garages of our mentors to work out of when a teacher cannot open the school for us.
MORT’s had pretty much full control of our whole industrial arts floor for robotics. Its pretty cool how much our school supports us. We have:a robotics “lab”, a wood shop room, a metal shop room, an old CAD room, and pretty much what we need in our school all to ourselves. I consider us lucky for what we have (the seniors may not agree). 
Connected woodshop (S-2) and drafting classrooms (S-1) that we claim for our own on weekends and after school and a shelf of computers in S-1 that we only use for the monitors (we swap out mouse, keyboard and box every build session). Connected to S-1 is the place with all of our stuff, The Infamous Closet. The Closet is packed full of tools, general supplies and materials, chaotic organization, a rather temperamental MIG welder, ancient woodshop tools and leaks with Stack Attack bins under them.
As for tools, we have a happy chop saw, a serene table saw, an irritable drill press, an inanimate wood press, a musical band saw (all of which are for wood- we cut aluminum :ahh:) and most fun of all, a spark saw (ceramic blade) for steel in the woodshop. In the drafting room we have a drill press and a band saw whose blade needs replacing. And of course, various hand power tools. Luckily we have recently added The TechShop as one of our sponsors and were able to have things milled and almost entirely welded (we were able to MIG weld a little bit at [strike]home[/strike] S-1).
On the second to last night before Ship Date, we managed to get permission and supervision to sleep over in the woodshop. The build sessions were scheduled for 9am to 9pm or later anyway. It was oddly fun to sleep under the shelter of a table saw, and a little alarming to find that no one felt the least bit strange sleeping at school.