Appropriate materials?

[myxpykalix]

I am planning some of the different projects for the inside of this house such as door and window casings, fireplace mantles, bookcases, wainscoting and other improvements and the most convienent and cheapest material would be mdf. Is there any other material i should be looking at that is relatively inexpensive?

[coach]

Jack, Chineese Birch is cheap. Stay away from the raw stuff, lot of de-lam issues.
The Pre-finished 2 sides holds up and is cheap.
Although I cannot attest to the longevity of the product.
I also like Poplar lumber. CHEAP.

[c_kling]

jack that is the kind of work that i do .and yes you can ues some fo the mdfs but the poplar will
stain better and look good .if you like more grain then use ash or white oak.if i have alot
in a room i use my molders and use my bott to do
the detail parts .i have some 100 profiles i can
run and i can run up to 20 inch wide if you need
help with something e-mail me

[geometree]

Not sure where you are located but, on the east coast we use a lot of poplar and ash. Eastern white pine is also dirt cheap if you buy a fair quantity. It has some knots but they are mostly small and tight and machine well, also good for outdoor trim. Ash is a great substitute for anything you want to look like oak, or even "cherry" with a dark stain. All of these woods can be bought for less than $1.50 a board foot in larger quantities.