The first thing I cobbled together was a bookcase of yellow pine 2x10's.
Stained it with Minwax double walnut and spayed it with lacquer. 25 years
later it is still holding up a mountain of books (7 feet tall) with no
complaint. Worked for me. If you can afford oak, go for it. If not pine
is perfectly serviceable and a relatively inexpensive way to build
confidence.

--
Regards,
Mike
Flower Mound, Texas
"Pawel" wrote in message
...
So i got my first router and after few plays with making garage shelfs i
want to make a real bookcase.
I was thinking of starting with pine, but am afraid that it may be to soft
to last as a nice bookcase.
Is douglas fir a reasonable compromise? or maybe i can make it with pine
and make surface harder by
finishing. Or shall i take it all in stride and make it from oak: oak
plywood with oak boards for walls and shelf edges. Any advice is welcome.

Pawel