The frame is made from poplar wood. Very common in the furniture industry back in the day. It's stable (less warping/cupping), easy to machine, slightly more durable than pine, tight grain that can mimic hardwoods. The stain used is opaque and created a faux cherry look. I just recently redid one myself but opted for a couple coats of dark Minwax followed by several spray coats semi-gloss polyurethane.

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It is a thick felt weatherstripping that I cut down to make it a bit narrow. Install with very small apolstory staples that I use for stapling ground braids as well. Haven't tested it out yet whether I will really like it. Unfortunately, the original foam weather stripping made a mess on the backglass but I was able to remove most of it without too much damage.

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Yup, It's poplar. I just refinished the rails on a restoration. The wood is definitely softer then the hardwoods used on many of the classic woodrails of the 30s-50s. Looking at the inside of the top rail mortise (where the top slips onto the tenon), I could definitely see a green tinge to the wood which is a sure giveaway. Is the only domestic wood that I know of that has a green tinge to it. ( I have been doing professional wood working for 35 years FYI.) Many furniture makers used to use it for more than just hidden parts for the same reasons. Able to mimic more expensive hardwoods at a fraction of the price, light weight, takes stain well (again solid stains would hide the sometimes dramatic color change from heart wood to outer lighter wood) competing with more expensive 'real' hardwood furniture, it was a common substitute for the economy market. Here's a piece from the 1960's made in Maine that was a very popular brand for decades-Moosehead brand. (The finish would scar quite easily compared to hardwoods just like the rails on Skill Roll)

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On the example I'm restoring, the top switch where the nickel drops had a fairly deep groove from the impact. I changed it to the bottom position that sees little use after cleaning up the burrs. Very soft, maybe aluminum.