MikeG.":13y1jf7r said:
I've not worked with it (I avoid tropical hardwoods deliberately), but meranti is known to be non-durable outside
Meranti is pretty horrible stuff to work with from experience, very interlocked grain which makes planing it a nightmare as there's no real right way about it unless you're using doctored planer blades or one of those closely set carp iron doohickies. Not sure about it being non-durable though, I've definitely seen external cladding and decking boards being sold that was made from the stuff in the past.
It's probably not the best stuff to work with if you're new to the craft. As Mike said, Poplar or Tulipwood are both excellent timbers for beginners because of ease of working and price but they aren't particularly the most attractive to look at.
If I were you Plodmore, find out who's in your area as far as joiners and cabinetmakers are concerned and call in with them and ask if they'll sell you any offcuts (any timber is good timber 8)), boards in stock or even get some ordered in for you if you need quite a bit. The prices should be very fair compared to the likes of Focus and other Rip-off metchants.