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The original wood was Southern Yellow Pine, a good choice although it's a bit soft and does not look as good as Oak if you clear finish it. Cherry is nice and finishes well but finish can get splotchy if the grain is just right(wrong). Ash is great and a lot cheaper than oak. Slightly lighter in weight but very tough. Most people can't tell the difference in appearance between Oak. The toughest, most stable wood i've used is quarter sawn white Oak. Will stay straight and finishes well although looks different than flat sawn oak. My choice but it's a bit pricey. Red oak absorbs moisture because of its open cell structure so don't use it for bed wood. Oak or Ash both will darken with contact with moisture
Use a good spar varnish for finishing. Use gloss for all but last coat since it has more solids in it than satin or flat varnishes. Thin the varnish w/ 1/3 mineral spirts to allow the varnish to get into wood pores better and flow out more evenly. Sand between coats. Good luck, motoretro
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