I made this for a friend it is made out of poplar and yellow pine all joints are mortise and tenon I finished it with 8 coats of polyurethane it didn't turn out to bad for as fast as it had to be done
Very functional. pics make it look painted yellow, but the shop pics don't have the same light, and you can tell it's not. Certainly functional looking.
This will be a great test as to the waterproofing qualities of Poly, as neither Poplar, or Pine are particularly water proof/resistant. I would think 8 coats a good start.