On 1 Dec 2005 11:31:44 -0800, wrote:

I tried hemlock (on that advice of a sales 'droid at home depot), but
it splits every time I sink a wood screw into it.

Hemlock might still work, but use bolts instead of screws and put a big
washer under the head. Any sort of timber you can buy from a DIY store
is pretty rubbish - probably strong enough, but it has a low crush
strength and will never be happy with woodscrews. "Generic red
softwood" (probably douglas fir) is usually better than "generic white
softwood" (usually hemlock) though.

For real beds, I always use English ash (our local product is better
than the US product - not sure what I'd use in the USA)