I also found some sites on the deforestation of the Scottish Borders, which was severe in the late medieval and Renaissance period. Import timber was available from the Baltic, but I assume it was costly.

A wood that grows like a weed (alder), ie fast, would be less expensive than oak or maple. Just as a hardwood (oak, maple) would be more expensive than a softwood (pine, alder). Then there are 'soft' hardwoods such as Poplar. This was used alot for carcass construction for altar panels, diptychs, or painted panels.

On top of this, those who made and repaired furniture did so with what woods were locally available. So you could have an oak chest with a replacement lid in poplar.

Decoration will also place the piece. The work shops of Surry-Sussex group are identified with carved geometrical roundels. Their work is found in other counties.

Finally I shall assume you want basic non-traveling furniture. Those of little money in the lower class certainly did not have much reason to travel, and when they did, they probably just carried what was on their backs, ie on pilgrimage. So you would want a footed chest with pin hinges (not metal strap hinge), if carved, only on the front as even the wealthy had the backs left uncarved as they were normally against a wall.

So a furniture set for a poor lower class family would be a four, round-legged bench with matching table. A single board, headboard, rope bed. A footed chest with no metal work, ie pin hinges. All this in a soft wood, like Pine.

[ 01-23-2007: Message edited by: Woodcrafter ]

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Any wood abundant to your area of interest would be acceptable.
http://ccu.jrc.it/Pubblications/tree_species_maps.pdf

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"Wooden objects and what they are made from in York.

Bowls - Alder, Ash and Maple

Cups - Alder, Ash, Maple, Birch and Yew

Pot lids - Oak and Alder (mostly oak)

Buckets and Casks - Oak, Willow, Pine and Yew (mostly oak)

Bucket and Cask Hoops - Ash

Stoppers - Alder, Hazel, Ash and Cork (12th/13th century)

Spoons - Hazel, Maple, Oak and Yew

Spatulae - Oak, Yew and Ash

Troughs - Poplar and Alder

Churns - Oak

Bread Peal - Alder

Knife handles - Spindlewood, Apple/Pear/Hawthorn, Birch, Ash, Poplar.

Boxes and Chests - Oak, Maple and Yew (mostly oak)

Stools and Loo Seats - Oak

Pins - Yew, Alder and Pine (quite a few in Yew)

Combs - Box

Shovels, Spades and Forks - Oak

Mattocks - Oak, Poplar, Maple and Ash

Rakes - Oak and Poplar

Ladders - Oak, Alder, Maple and Hazel

Other Handles - Willow, Oak, Box, Ash, Maple, Birch, Alder

Rippler - Pine

Flax Pounders - Willow and Alder

Scutching Knife - Oak

Distaff - Elder

Spindles - Oak and Ash

Bobins - Yew and Elm

Weft beater, Heddle Cradle - Oak

Heddle Rod - Alder

Tally sticks - Alder and Oak

Awl Handle - Beech

Last - Willow

Saddle bow - Oak

Game board - Oak

Game pieces - Hazel, Yew, Alder, Hazel

Musical instruments - Box and Alder

Bowling Ball - Ash

Spinning tops - Maple and Alder

Toy sword handle - Willow

Window and door fittings - Oak, Maple and Birch

Shingles - Oak

Floorboards - Pine and Fir

Pegs - Oak, Willow, Hazel, Ash, Alder

Not very much in Beech (or Lime) I am afraid but plenty to go on for now.

I would have suggested Lime

Wood and Woodworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York - C.A. Morris. 2000 The Archaeology of York 17/13"

I would suggest also not relying on what we perceive as class to indicate wealth. Yes in general the nobility were more wealthy than the commoners, however the commons had many strata of wealth. EG peasants could easily be wealthy landowners by dint of marriage and purhcase. So in this case 'class' is merely to do with a social degree, not money as such. Point being, your lower order could well have enough money to have decent items, his 'class' merely presented a glass ceiling, most of the time.

There are probate inventories of dead peasants who left painted cloths, buildings, livestock, furniture and bronze pots etc. And then there are the very poor, the indigent who had next to nothing.

If you are really poor, then not only do you have the cheapest, fewest and nastiest items, your whole personal kit would also reflect that, ie no weapons, no armour.

As you can see from the above list, many of the items are day to day, spatulae, toilet seats etc. so 'cheap' may not be what we perceive it to be, it may be that there is a minimum of how poorly an item is made, a wooden spoon at the end of the day is just a wooden spoon, even the very rich use just wooden spoons.

re pine, it is indigenous to the British Isles, mainly Scotland but also parts of England, it was heavily deforested post medieva period. Pine was also imported from the Baltic ports for building projects in the North East, which suggests it may not be that cheap.

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