Wood might get a little heavy for little strength - but you could build a wooden form to do a fibreglas lay-up, or work on bending a console out of sheet.
I've got to sit down and draw the designs I'm thinking of, then get back in practise welding myself (I've got a little Campbell-Hausfield 90A DC job.) I can weld like a maniac with a gas torch, but the electrics always did give me a little trouble. I think I just understand fire better...
Before you really start designing, do a batch of paper drawings with various configurations to figure out what you want to do and how - and maybe a cardboard mock-up or two when you feel you're getting close. Cardboard is much cheaper - and easier to work - than wood or metal. Posterboard is also good for mock-up work.
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