re: Lessons learned...or what every new woodworker should know...

My workbench is ash. I really like it. I could see myself using it for drawer fronts as well, since I like the look of the wood. It was easy enough to cut, and took well to BLO. The cherry definitely seems softer, where ash, at least what I have used so far, was similar to oak or maybe even a bit harder than oak. I am in the process of making stool seats with maple. I love walnut, but I want to gain more skills before using any.

You might find some good uses for your scraps, even the smaller ones. I’ve made some dog stops out of ash, and my wife has used ash, beech, and cherry for making pens, although she likes the darker woods such as cocobola (may be spelled wrong). I can’t afford a lot of wood, so I tend to keep just about anything that’s bigger than a splinter – grin.