Wood Thumb Fire Relief

*Update* We reached our goal in a few short days, but Wood Thumb can still use your help! Please donate and share to spread the word. THANK YOU!

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Last night, the Wood Thumb workshop at 173 Shipley St in San Francisco was destroyed by a fire — almost all tools, shop infrastructure and inventory are a total loss. 

Thankfully, no one was hurt and no neighboring structures were lost. We are beyond grateful to the firefighters who bravely entered the building to stop the spread of the fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Wood Thumb has been a pillar of the San Francisco maker community for almost 10 years — from the early days when brothers Chris and David made the first wood tie and hosted community dinners to more recent years teaching thousands of students and teams, even amidst a pandemic, about creativity and making things with their own hands. 

So many of us have called Wood Thumb home, helped with craft fairs, joined classes, used the shop tools, brought too many desserts to community dinners, brewed beer on the sidewalk, played music together, and helped to keep the dream alive that it’s still possible to make stuff by hand in San Francisco. 

In order to survive, Wood Thumb will need to find a new home and replace tools and machinery. This fundraiser is to help Chris and Wood Thumb get through this time by securing a new location and replacing lost tools and machinery. 

Wood Thumb needs our support to survive this devastating loss. Please contribute what you can to help Chris and the Wood Thumb community rebuild.

— David 



Video of the fire

The funds raised will help Chris and the Wood Thumb team recover from the fire.

Right away, this means buying tools and setting up a temporary wood shop to continue to run our virtual workshop operations. In the medium term, we will look to secure a new space, purchase equipment, and set up a new wood shop.

Rebecca, Chris's wife, is stepping in as treasurer and operations coordinator, and will ensure that the money goes to Chris and Wood Thumb's immediate recovery effort.