I’m not familiar with the difference wood species and costs. What, besides pine, is the cheapest species and where to get some. I know it cheaper to get un dimension wood and I like that, but where to buy, and is it cheaper to get the farther away from Dallas ft worth area? What is popular and oak good for?
Harden Sawmill is in Denton. Got 100bd ft of air dried white oak for $200.
It is rough sawn.
Oak is an excellent general purpose wood. It can be used effectively for virtually anything, though there may be a more effective wood.
Hickory is also relatively cheap, central hardwoods sells it for ~$3.50/bd ft.
Hickory is very strong, but unstable over time. Very often used for tool handles, bows, and other strength-critical applications.
To start your journey - a list of lumber yards can be found here: LINK. Prices vary widely - both day-to-day and between suppliers.
I have used both Central Hardwoods and Hardwood Lumber Company. One of our members @Lloyd_Plum also has his own mill in Plano and is a great resource. Great source for wood
You can also find inexpensive lumber from Facebook Market Place/Craigslist - make sure that it has been properly dried [you might invest in a moisture meter]. This can be the dodgiest place to purchase lumber.
Most lumber yards sell different surface types: rough, S2S, S3S, & S4S. Rough lumber will need to be surfaced on all sides, S2S has been through a jointer and surfaced on a face & edge, S3S has been through a jointer & planer and will need the fourth edges surfaced on the table saw, and S4S has been surfaced on all sides and just needs to be cut to length.
You can also buy different grades of lumber: LINK. The grade will also greatly affect the price you will pay.
As to what species to use, it really depends on what you are making, what appeals to you, and your budget. Poplar is relatively inexpensive, but on the softer side of most hardwoods and doesn’t have a pretty grain pattern - so it is typically used for painted projects or “unseen” structural pieces. Oak is much harder, takes stain fairly well, and has a pretty grain pattern. The three wood “kings” of cutting boards are cherry, hard maple, and walnut.
Finally, go get your “Green Dot” - it will open the “Member’s Only” section of the forum [create a post in the “Member Access (Green Dot)” category. Also note other member benefits can be found here: Just did my first visit to DMS - #3 by TSki
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One of our members @Lloyd_Plum also has his own mill in Plano and is a great resource. Great source for wood
Just to clarify so there aren’t any misconceptions, I’m a member of the forum, but not a member of DMS 
If you’re looking for cheap dimensioned lumber, I’m not really the guy. I mostly do live edge and custom log processing. I will occasionally have some cheap pieces, but I can’t compete on dimensioned lumber price with the big(ger) operations.
Ash is usually one of the cheapest hardwoods if you’re leaving a natural finish (poplar is often cheaper but is typically painted, though to each their own). I just got some from 4/4 from Dakota for <$3/bdft, but their prices do tend to fluctuate a lot.
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The wood database is a great source for information on (virtually) all wood species.
Here is their page on white ash as an example:
Alder is also relatively cheap (at least as of a year ago). It is a cherry substitute.
dallas hardwood has a rack of cutoffs for sale if you are looking for smaller pieces. It is an impressive place (at least for those of us that are obsessed with wood).
I would say that Lloyd specializes in wood for art projects. If you are looking for local wood (logs/boards) with lots of character (interesting grain, cracks, knots, bug holes, etc) for table tops or other projects, go to Lloyd. He has stuff the lumber yards don’t and stuff that is really hard to find. (he has straight grain wood but as he says - he’s not price competitive on dimensional lumber).
I need to correct Lloyd post— he doesn’t offer cheap wood… he has inexpensive pieces from time to time…and far prices the rest of the time… 
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Created a quick google map for the wiki link suppliers that might be helpful or an idea for whoever manages the wiki to flesh out.
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