Introduction
I have always been an ambitious person, never shy to give anything a go. I never start small and always jump in two feet first! Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not.
My name is Jono McHugh and I currently run a 5* safari lodge in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana. But home for me is a beautiful farm in the mountains of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. And it is there that I want to accomplish my ambitious (first ever) wood working project.
My dad is a man that can do it all. He has built houses, repaired vehicles, done electrical wiring and just about fixed anything else that broke around the house. I like to think I learnt a thing or two from him but time will tell. My dad always told me, "if you have the right tools for the job you can get the job done."
So what exactly is my project about?.......
On our farm we have some beautiful Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) trees, some have fallen over from strong winds and heavy storms but most have remained. I want to cut down one of these trees (they are after all an invasive species in South Africa) and depending on how well I do at this project eventually remove all the trees and replace them with indigenous Yellow woods. We have a big spare room in our house with a fire place tucked nicely in the corner, a few chairs and that's about it. With no kids, at the moment, my wife and I use the room very little except on cold evenings for the fire place. I would love to use one of the Blackwood trees as a bar counter top and create a little more character in the room. It must be rustic with knots, stumps, breaks, holes and have a lot of character about it. So although I need to treat and preserve the bar, I actually want to keep it as rough and natural as possible.
Seeing as its my first project, I figured along the way there will be mistakes, lessons learned and plans changed. Which is why I wanted to start this blog, not only too record my progress but also for others to learn from and also chip in and help!
So here it goes…......
I have always been an ambitious person, never shy to give anything a go. I never start small and always jump in two feet first! Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not.
My name is Jono McHugh and I currently run a 5* safari lodge in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana. But home for me is a beautiful farm in the mountains of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. And it is there that I want to accomplish my ambitious (first ever) wood working project.
My dad is a man that can do it all. He has built houses, repaired vehicles, done electrical wiring and just about fixed anything else that broke around the house. I like to think I learnt a thing or two from him but time will tell. My dad always told me, "if you have the right tools for the job you can get the job done."
So what exactly is my project about?.......
On our farm we have some beautiful Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) trees, some have fallen over from strong winds and heavy storms but most have remained. I want to cut down one of these trees (they are after all an invasive species in South Africa) and depending on how well I do at this project eventually remove all the trees and replace them with indigenous Yellow woods. We have a big spare room in our house with a fire place tucked nicely in the corner, a few chairs and that's about it. With no kids, at the moment, my wife and I use the room very little except on cold evenings for the fire place. I would love to use one of the Blackwood trees as a bar counter top and create a little more character in the room. It must be rustic with knots, stumps, breaks, holes and have a lot of character about it. So although I need to treat and preserve the bar, I actually want to keep it as rough and natural as possible.
Seeing as its my first project, I figured along the way there will be mistakes, lessons learned and plans changed. Which is why I wanted to start this blog, not only too record my progress but also for others to learn from and also chip in and help!
So here it goes…......