Best advice I can give as a furniture maker. Use the best material you can. Save up for the maple. Its not that much more. If you use pine, it will have issues. Kiln dried material is all i use as my work goes all over the country.

Think of it this way. You are making something you want to have last for a long time. Use ther best material you can. Its a small part of the project. Inferior materials just add disappointment down the line. Its one of the biggest lessons I learned years back. Hope it helps. bob