Mike Marlow wrote:

snip

You could use plywood for most of this stuff. You'd want a really good
adhesive because in order to use ply, you'd have nail into the ply layers
and that's not a good idea. I'm not so sure that you'd save a lot of money
over hardwood though. The components you show in the pictures are not all
that complex and could well be produced out of ash. It might pay to look
around for rough cut hardwood prices in your area. If you don't have the
tools to work the wood (and we're not talking fine cabinetry here...), you
could find a friend or acquaintance with a band saw which would satisfy 80%
of the woodworking requirement. You'd certainly come in at a fraction of
that $2000-$3000 price you're being quoted for a kit.




I originally thought of doing the frame in steel. I wonder how the
price of ash compares to steel? Yeah, completely slipped my mind when
thinking of making the structural members of ply, having to drive nails
in them to hold the panels. The tools aren't a problem, I have what I
need to shape the frame pieces.