The heartwood has much more character than any knot, unless of course you are talking Birdseye maple. New Guinea rosewood would look nice with a Danish oil polish.
I know I am dragging up an old thread, but does any one know where I could buy some hard wood in 180mm+ and 220mm+ widths that don't cost as much as the freezer itself !!
I am located in north west Melbourne.
Go with pine and stain it as a first try.
Pine is cheap and if you a mistake it's not expensive to replace,plenty of choices for different colours in .
Cheers......spog...
If I was more confident with my skills on the tools i would use something better, but only for the top. It would be pricey to clad the whole thing in expensive timber.