Shawn, you are going through the hardest part of the project right now, coming up with the right wood. In our part of the country pine is by far the cheapest, unless you are looking for clear pine with no knots. Clear pine is priced about the same as red oak for us. Let me suggest for your first project go with pine. Both Lowes and HD carry what they call laminated pine which is 1"x3"'s that have been commercially edge glued together. You can buy these in 12"-24" widths, 4'-6' in length. They are available in thickness's 3/4" and 1-1/8". The boards are fairly accurate on the thickness, minor sanding is all you will need to do. Buy yourself a 1"x3" of poplar, an inexpensive hardwood to use as a straight edge. By clamping this across your work you will have a guide you can follow using your router to cut the pieces to size. Make life easy on yourself and choose a project you can build with 3/4" lumber. This will be the least expensive way to get started. See if there is a cabinet shop near you. Many will be happy to size your boards for a small fee or some time spent pushing a broom. Visit your Rockler and Woodcraft stores. This is a good way to meet others in your area who may be willing to have you work with them on home projects, people who will likely already have the jointers and planers that make our lives much easier! Woodcraft & Rockler have store sales flyers you will want to sign up for. Woodcraft features a different wood each month for a reduced price. That sure doesnt hurt! And when the weather warms up perhaps you can toss your router into the car and head up I-75 to Detroit and we will make some sawdust. Good luck.
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Mike
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