Thanks for your info and suggestions. This forum is great. Now, I guess I will test my luck with remaining a member receiving all this help.
We like the look of the worn Black. So I will use black milk paint over another color --to be determined. Recently I purchased soft maple and ash for $2 bd ft due to the seller needing to move. Both are very clear and 8" to 11" wide by 8' & 10' lgths. So, I am thinking about using the ash as the secondary wood and soft maple as primary. As you know, soft maple makes crisp moldings. Do you think this is the wrong choice. BTW --locally we can buy sugar pine by it is kinda pricey.
Bob, based on your note about sugar pine, I'm guessing you reside in the Western US. Yellow pine is, of course, extremely easy to come by in the Southeast as construction lumber. Old growth yellow pine is very rare except in one specific instance - re-cycled heart pine from tobacco barns. While this heart pine has a charm of its own, I wouldn't think it would be all that suitable for furniture making - it's often no more than 8" wide at the absolute maximum, and also usually full of nail holes that would have to be filled.
Were I in your shoes, I'd try for some quarter-sawn yellow pine from one of the small sawmills around the Southeast and have it shipped to you. It's definitely not going to be as cheap as construction lumber in the Raleigh Home Depot, but you may well be able to get better width and fewer knots.
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