Sounds like you got it sussed
You guys are so lucky (Lowes, HD, etc) with decent tools and wood in stock, I am a Brit currently living in the middle of France. The only wood I can get hold of easily is Oak or Pine, even getting MDF to make my first set of templates was a task in itself
In saying that, the Oak is of really excellent quality, most of these mills out here have been family run for donkeys years and a lot of their stocks have been air dried for 50-60 years or more.
I have friends that come over from the UK on a regular basis so I am hoping that they can get what I need at a reasonable price and bring it over for me. That or Ebay.