So what are these pieces made of?

I don't know, but if it's really hardwood I'll guess it's poplar. AFAIK, poplar is the cheapest standard hardwood. There's nothing wrong with it except that it's not a great looking wood. It really has to be painted or heavily stained. On its own, it often tends to have a slightly greenish tinge to it. Poplar was the wood my instructor suggested we get when we were experimenting in my "Woodworking 101" class.

• wal mart wood

Something else - hard, tough like bubinga. Essentially weather proof. Very pretty mahogany looking. Comes in dimensional lumber - saw a dock built out of it at some millionaire's house - they put it out in the ocean raw, no finish.

They sell it premilled as deck wood; no milling, only end cutting and making bisquit pockets for the specialized (plastic; separating spacers at the ends and screw hole in the middle) bisquits.

My contractor decided he wanted stuff milled out of this stuff.  I start a dark mustard/ochre/brown piece through the saw, and this roostertail of bright chartreuse dust comes up from the cut.  I'm wearing the mask and goggles, and within ten seconds my nose and eyes are burning, itching . . . any of you turkey necks ever sneeze three times inside the mask?  Euw!

Hard, dense, variable in color and character, abrasive to blades, okay but generally bland in appearance, toxic, unstable, difficult to glue, de Poinz hate it.

Amen,

E.