Hi John, I am a starting woodworker, and your New Fangled Workbench is going to be my real first project. I think it is an excellent design and am more impressed every time I think about it. Currently, I am stuck with the problem of finding good inexpensive lumber. I’ve checked HD and Lowes in the area. They have Doug Fir, but only 2x4x96 in Kiln Dried. Even I was to buy the 2×12 green timber to sticker and wait in the garage, I can’t find any with good clear sections to rip. There are always 1 or 2 knots in the wood. Should I be worried about getting the most clear for the top, or would it be okay using the ones with 1 or 2 small knots that seem pretty tight / intact? Also, when I rip the 2x12s to take the “center” 2×4 as you had suggested, the grain becomes tangential to the board, kind of like plain sawn. Will this be a concern? I couldn’t find any real lumberyard in the area that carries KD Doug Fir. But I could check their green timber to see if its better than those from the big box stores. Finally, what do you think about using Ponderosa Pine (or Jeffrey Pine) instead of Doug Fir? Thanks in advance for any advise of tips. Cheers, -Ganesh