Before you begin your project, you will want to become familiar with the woodworking terms shown below. The two basic categories of wood used most often in wood working projects are hardwood and softwood. Hardwood is more durable and less prone to dents and scratches. It is also more expensive but will finish to a better advantage. Soft woods, like pine, are more prone to dents and scratches and do not have the durability of hardwood.
Softwoods are much less expensive and easier to find.
Make sure it is properly dried, straight, and free of knots and defects. Ask your Lumber supplier for assistance when purchasing your wood. Similar to laying a pattern out on a piece of cloth, often you can cut several different pieces of the same thickness of wood out of a single piece. It is a good idea to add up the total number of board feet, being careful to make sure you group short pieces in a board with long pieces to minimize waste. This project could be built out of scrap wood already in your workshop.