I only use woods that grow locally: elm, walnut, cherry, beech, oak, ash (and cedar or cypress for the backs and drawer bottoms)
All of these are air-dried for at least 3 years.
I cut some of them myself:
Felling of the tree (here a cherry), winching to a flat place
Slicing into boards with a chainsaw and guide
Drying outside
After one year, drying inside
Ripping into boards (Nowadays I use the bandsaw!)