Whats an in-expensive, but sturdy, wood to use to build a bed?
The least expensive is pine, but it does not have to look it. Of course it can be painted any color. It can also be stained any shade. Minwax and several other companies make stains that will color it to look like many other woods, from darkening it ever so slightly to show the grain, to darking it to ebony. It is a softwood, and therefore will bow more than a hardwood, but it is much easier to work, and can be carved with chisels or with a Dremel tool. Of hardwoods, maple and oak are fairly reasonable in price, and red oak in particular has a beautiful grain. It is also possible to get hardwood plywoods (most plywood is pine) like birch, which I have a table made of about ten feet from where I am, that I made, and many people have liked it, and I do myself. Most hardwoods, in my opinion, if the grain is selected carefully will not require a stain, but just a varnish. I use wipe on polyurethane, which I apply with a cloth soaked in it. It seals the wood, darkens it slightly, and looks
