The Butterfly Joint

A woodworking and design studio for children ages 4 and up

$53,115
RAISED OF $50,000 GOAL
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107%
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405
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What is The Butterfly Joint?

The Butterfly Joint will be a woodworking and design studio in San Francisco for children 4 and up. When students walk through the doors of the Butterfly Joint, they will be transported into a woodworking factory designed just for them. They’ll clock in with their very own punch cards, put on their work aprons, and get started on their projects after hearing the sound of the steam whistle.

Lead by Danny Montoya, a credentialed early-childhood educator with more than a decade of experience in the classroom, The Butterfly Joint will offer classes, workshops and activities that instill the importance of focus, problem-solving, resilience, determination and responsibility through the timeless art of woodworking.

A Fun Place to Grow and Learn

The Butterfly Joint will focus on teaching children traditional joinery techniques— the use of dovetails, box joints and loose tenons in place of screws and nails. There will be a variety of classes offered, from one-day drop-in classes for small projects, to multi-week series classes for more in-depth learning and larger projects. 

Beginners will work with prefabricated and unassembled wood items to sand, assemble and oil. Advanced students will create a project from scratch and use hand tools such as Japanese dovetail saws, chisels and hammers.

And for home schoolers, we’ll work with you to develop a curriculum tailored specifically for your child. We’ll host birthday parties, summer camps and family classes—where even the adults can join in and get their hands dirty! 

The current list of projects includes:

  • Children's Book Caddy
  • Dovetailed Tool Box
  • Dovetailed Keepsake Box
  • Tooth Fairy Box
  • Small or Large Dovetailed Treasure Chest
  • Eichler Doll House
  • Reitveld Inspired Children's Bench
  • Reitveld Inspired Children’s Stool

  • Small Wooden Gems
  • Children's Wooden Claw Hammer
  • Children's Wooden Mallet
  • Small Picnic boards

The Butterfly Joint will also include a retail component, both in-store and online, offering take-home projects, completed pieces perfect for gifting and specialty items such as child-sized aprons, work gloves and age-appropriate tools. 

What Sets Us Apart

"In a world where manual skills are shunned we believe in them, not only in the act of producing a better product, but in the sheer joy of doing or becoming. We feel that pride in craftsmanship, of doing as perfect a job as possible, of producing something of beauty even out of nature's discards, are all homely attributes that can be reconsidered."George Nakashima, 1962

More than 50 years later, this sentiment seems more relevant than ever. Many of us were fortunate enough to experience that "sheer joy of doing" in the wood shop classes of our youth, and watched with sadness as they slowly disappeared from schools. The Butterfly Joint seeks to revive the wood shop experience for today's children, and will offer something truly unique to a city that would seem to have it all:

  • The Butterfly Joint will be the ONLY children's creative space in SF dedicated specifically to woodworking. 
  • It will feature a program developed and led by a trusted, credentialed teacher with over a decade of experience in the classroom. 
  • It will be set in a thoughtfully designed environment that will provide a fun, immersive experience for young woodworkers.
  • It will contain an in-house professional wood shop (where all products and blanks are created) so children can see the connection between the skills they are learning and how they can be applied to the larger world. 
  • It will teach age-old skills through projects that are design-focused and feature a clean, modern aesthetic. 
  • It will offer scholarships and sliding-scale classes to ensure the experience is open to all. 
  • It will provide part-time jobs and apprenticeships for older children who wish to take their learning and commitment to the next level. 

Building The Butterfly Joint

I want to take a moment to address why I am turning to you, my community, to help me realize The Butterfly Joint, and to explain exactly how your support will be utilized. 

When I first committed to opening my own business, I planned to go about it the traditional way and apply for a small-business loan from a bank. But as I spoke to family and friends about my vision, their genuine enthusiasm for the project inspired me to start thinking about it differently. I feel lucky to count amongst my friends hundreds of parents of former students, as well as so many of the students themselves (the oldest of which have already crossed the stage at their college graduations). I am opening The Butterfly Joint in order to continue to grow and strengthen these very relationships, and of course initiate countless more.

Regardless of how many forms I fill out, a bank doesn't know me, doesn't appreciate the connections that were made in and out of the classroom, or really care whether my business thrives or not. But my community does. 

That's why I would rather invite you to invest in something you will utilize and that you believe in. The Butterfly Joint will be a place that we will build together and that will be ours, and I truly believe that it will be extraordinary because of it. 

What your support will be used for: 

  • To acquire and secure deposit and three months rent on a centrally located warehouse-style space—ideally with convenient parking, pick-up and drop-off areas and near public transportation. 
  • To build out the children's studio, work shop and retail areas.
  • To build and launch thebutterflyjoint.com, complete with an easy-to-use class sign-up interface.
  • To hire and train two assistants who will help both in the shop and in the classrooms.
  • To get the doors open and children at the worktables as early as Spring 2015.

Let's do this!

Your Rewards for Pledging

You choose what you do with your reward:

Donate and skip the rewards. We'll use every dollar to improve The Butterfly Joint.
Donate, and use your rewards for yourself.
Donate, and give your rewards as a gift to whomever you choose.

Pledge $50+ and get one of these awesome T-Shirts

  Pledge $300+ and have your name added to our Charter Member
Butterfly Joint Wall Installation

Becoming a Lifetime Member is the ultimate statement of your support.
You would become a permanent part of our Butterfly Joint Family!

Team

Danny Montoya - Founder, Owner, Head Instructor/Woodworker

Educator, Woodworker, Designer, Dad 


I have been working in schools since 1997. I studied early childhood education and received my California multiple-subject teaching credential in 2000. For the next 12 years, I taught kindergarten and first grade at some of San Francisco’s top independent schools. During vacations and off hours, I spent much of my time in my wood shop designing and creating pieces for my home and gifts for friends. Before I knew it, I was being commissioned for larger pieces, selling some items in stores and doing custom work for local interior designers. In 2012, I decided to leave teaching and pursue my woodworking business full time. A year later, my daughter was born, and I was inspired to combine my two passions: teaching and woodworking.


Erin Feher Montoya - Content Strategist, Marketing and Social Media Director

Editor, Author, Writer, Mom 


I have been working as a writer and editor since 2005, when I landed my first internship with 7x7 and California Home+Design magazines. I fell head over heels in love with design (and, more specifically, the local design community), and after working my way up the masthead, became Editor in Chief of California Home+Design in 2011. Once I became a mother, I dove into new subject matter (both personally an professionally), and I am currently the Bay Area editor of Red Tricycle, a national parenting site.


Pledge $25+

The Butterfly Joint FAN

+ A BIG "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

82BACKERS

Pledge $50+

The Butterfly Joint BELIEVER

+ A HUGE "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-Shirt!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

97BACKERS

Pledge $100+

The Butterfly Joint SUPPORTER

+ A FAMILY invite to our Pre-Opening Celebration!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-shirt.
+ A Butterfly Joint decal.
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping.
+ One 1.5 hour class ($45 value)

170BACKERS

Pledge $300+

The Butterfly Joint POPLAR LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ A 4-day series workshop ($135 value)
+ Your name on a custom 6" poplar butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

29BACKERS

Pledge $500+

The Butterfly Joint MAPLE LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 6 month membership! ($175 value)
+ One 4-day series class ($135 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Your name on a custom 8" maple butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

22BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $1,000+

The Butterfly Joint REDWOOD LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 1 year membership! ($250 value)
+ Twelve 1.5 hour classes ($540 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 10" redwood butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

5BACKERS

Pledge $5,000+

The Butterfly Joint WALNUT LEVEL

+ Two of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ 5-year membership! ($1,250)
+ Twenty 1.5 hour classes ($900 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 12" walnut butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 10 LEFT

Pledge $10,000+

LIFETIME BUILDER

+ Four of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership (value is huge!)
+ One year of unlimited free classes for every member of your immediate family.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Your name on a custom 15" bocote wood Life Member butterfly joint on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $20,000+

LIFETIME FAMILY BUILDER

+ Eight of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership
+ A Lifetime of unlimited free classes for all of your present and future children.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Four 18" purple heart Life Member butterfly joints on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 4 LEFT

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No updates yet.




Pledge $25+

The Butterfly Joint FAN

+ A BIG "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

82BACKERS

Pledge $50+

The Butterfly Joint BELIEVER

+ A HUGE "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-Shirt!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

97BACKERS

Pledge $100+

The Butterfly Joint SUPPORTER

+ A FAMILY invite to our Pre-Opening Celebration!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-shirt.
+ A Butterfly Joint decal.
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping.
+ One 1.5 hour class ($45 value)

170BACKERS

Pledge $300+

The Butterfly Joint POPLAR LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ A 4-day series workshop ($135 value)
+ Your name on a custom 6" poplar butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

29BACKERS

Pledge $500+

The Butterfly Joint MAPLE LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 6 month membership! ($175 value)
+ One 4-day series class ($135 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Your name on a custom 8" maple butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

22BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $1,000+

The Butterfly Joint REDWOOD LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 1 year membership! ($250 value)
+ Twelve 1.5 hour classes ($540 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 10" redwood butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

5BACKERS

Pledge $5,000+

The Butterfly Joint WALNUT LEVEL

+ Two of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ 5-year membership! ($1,250)
+ Twenty 1.5 hour classes ($900 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 12" walnut butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 10 LEFT

Pledge $10,000+

LIFETIME BUILDER

+ Four of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership (value is huge!)
+ One year of unlimited free classes for every member of your immediate family.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Your name on a custom 15" bocote wood Life Member butterfly joint on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $20,000+

LIFETIME FAMILY BUILDER

+ Eight of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership
+ A Lifetime of unlimited free classes for all of your present and future children.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Four 18" purple heart Life Member butterfly joints on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 4 LEFT

W

No comments yet.




Pledge $25+

The Butterfly Joint FAN

+ A BIG "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

82BACKERS

Pledge $50+

The Butterfly Joint BELIEVER

+ A HUGE "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-Shirt!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

97BACKERS

Pledge $100+

The Butterfly Joint SUPPORTER

+ A FAMILY invite to our Pre-Opening Celebration!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-shirt.
+ A Butterfly Joint decal.
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping.
+ One 1.5 hour class ($45 value)

170BACKERS

Pledge $300+

The Butterfly Joint POPLAR LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ A 4-day series workshop ($135 value)
+ Your name on a custom 6" poplar butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

29BACKERS

Pledge $500+

The Butterfly Joint MAPLE LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 6 month membership! ($175 value)
+ One 4-day series class ($135 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Your name on a custom 8" maple butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

22BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $1,000+

The Butterfly Joint REDWOOD LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 1 year membership! ($250 value)
+ Twelve 1.5 hour classes ($540 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 10" redwood butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

5BACKERS

Pledge $5,000+

The Butterfly Joint WALNUT LEVEL

+ Two of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ 5-year membership! ($1,250)
+ Twenty 1.5 hour classes ($900 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 12" walnut butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 10 LEFT

Pledge $10,000+

LIFETIME BUILDER

+ Four of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership (value is huge!)
+ One year of unlimited free classes for every member of your immediate family.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Your name on a custom 15" bocote wood Life Member butterfly joint on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $20,000+

LIFETIME FAMILY BUILDER

+ Eight of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership
+ A Lifetime of unlimited free classes for all of your present and future children.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Four 18" purple heart Life Member butterfly joints on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 4 LEFT

%

No backers yet.




Pledge $25+

The Butterfly Joint FAN

+ A BIG "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

82BACKERS

Pledge $50+

The Butterfly Joint BELIEVER

+ A HUGE "thank you" for being a fan!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-Shirt!
+ A Butterfly Joint decal!
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping!

97BACKERS

Pledge $100+

The Butterfly Joint SUPPORTER

+ A FAMILY invite to our Pre-Opening Celebration!
+ A Butterfly Joint T-shirt.
+ A Butterfly Joint decal.
+ A shout-out on Facebook for helping.
+ One 1.5 hour class ($45 value)

170BACKERS

Pledge $300+

The Butterfly Joint POPLAR LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ A 4-day series workshop ($135 value)
+ Your name on a custom 6" poplar butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

29BACKERS

Pledge $500+

The Butterfly Joint MAPLE LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 6 month membership! ($175 value)
+ One 4-day series class ($135 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Your name on a custom 8" maple butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

22BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $1,000+

The Butterfly Joint REDWOOD LEVEL

+ EVERYTHING from the $100 level,
plus all this:
+ 1 year membership! ($250 value)
+ Twelve 1.5 hour classes ($540 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron ($45 value)
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 10" redwood butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

5BACKERS

Pledge $5,000+

The Butterfly Joint WALNUT LEVEL

+ Two of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ 5-year membership! ($1,250)
+ Twenty 1.5 hour classes ($900 value)
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ Your name on a custom 12" walnut butterfly joint to be added to our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 10 LEFT

Pledge $10,000+

LIFETIME BUILDER

+ Four of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership (value is huge!)
+ One year of unlimited free classes for every member of your immediate family.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Your name on a custom 15" bocote wood Life Member butterfly joint on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 8 LEFT

Pledge $20,000+

LIFETIME FAMILY BUILDER

+ Eight of EVERYTHING from the $100
level, plus all this:
+ One Lifetime Family Membership
+ A Lifetime of unlimited free classes for all of your present and future children.
+ Lifetime priority registration for all classes and camps.
+ A child-sized Butterfly Joint work apron for every child in your family!
+ Four 18" purple heart Life Member butterfly joints on our Charter Member Butterfly Joint Wall installation!

0BACKERS - ONLY 4 LEFT

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