HOW TO GET GREAT LUMBER FOR WOODWORKING CHEAP.

Some of the best lumber with the most personality is often the cheapest. Check out common grades at your local hardwood supplier or craft store. The grain can be richer and more varied than clear grades, and a lot less expensive than the bland wood that home centers sell. Unusual knots can be particularly interesting.

Check the yellow pages or internet for woodworking supply stores or lumberyards that specialize in hardwood. Most of the time you can find exotic hardwoods for less money than the oak or maple sold at major home centers. Look for hidden beauty in the cheapest woods. Some of the least expensive domestic hardwoods like ash, birch, butternut, soft maple, white oak, poplar, willow and others, can be the most fascinating to look at.

Make a good estimate of how much wood you need, then add around 20% for cushion. Hardwood suppliers sell wood by the board foot in random widths and lengths, one board foot is 1 ft. x 1 ft. by 1 in. thick, and so an 8 ft. 1 x 6 would be about 4 bd. ft.

Look for #1 or even #2 common, and pick through the piles. The beauty of common grade hardwood is that it's inconsistent, with unusual grain patterns, interesting knots and a range of color which are all problems for furniture makers, who need consistency, but great for people who make one of a kind pieces. You can buy wood even cheaper if you get rough sawed lumber, wood that hasn't been planed to a standard thickness and size. Cheaper wood often has more knots and defects, so while it can be fine for a bookshelf or a simple table, it may not be the best choice for a complex peace like a chest of drawers.
Suppliers can usually cut and plane wood to size for you for a fee if you don't have shop tools, or you can just leave your wood rough.  

To make the grain really pop out, sand very thoroughly with a random orbit sander ($50 models work great). Start with 120 or 150 grit, followed by 220 and finally 320. Always sand more than you think you have to. Watch the wood grain as you sand, it will get clearer and deeper and more intricate the more you sand. Use care at all times when working with power tools. Wear eye protection and a dust mask when sanding, some woods can cause allergic reactions.