I agree with everything you’ve said. Just like I agree with all the utensil care advice given in the Smoking Meat thread. I still put my knives in the dishwasher. 
But it is good to know what rules you’re breaking/ignoring/avoiding, and what the consequences could be, so you can both plan for the eventual failures and maybe even account for the shortcomings ahead of time.
For some of us, perhaps the calculus of materials cost in money and time for both wood and bits, combined with the total amount of pieces actually done is such that pine is a fine choice. But for others, they may find that it is, in fact, worth the extra time and/or money to invest in hardwoods. As for the prep-work milling, I know it’s what should be done, but I don’t have the patience for doing it on a project by project basis, and I don’t have the space/money/spousal-patience to maintain a cache of prepped material.