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mahogany, black walnut, and sugar maple. They are bought to a large 

 extent as veneer because in that form the selection of the most attractive 

 figures is possible. For the backs, posts, and diagonal sweeps, several 

 species — sugar maple, beech, soft maple, yellow birch, and white ash con- 

 tribute the material because hardness and strength are the properties de- 

 manded. The bridges are of spruce, maple, and white ash, because they 

 hold their shape well and are strong. The bottom boards are made of maple, 

 oak, and hemlock, and the pedal boards of sugar and soft maple. 



Spruce is the most vibrant wood and therefore foremost for piano sound- 

 ing boards and sounding board ribs. The red spruce native of the Ap- 

 palachian and New England regions, and white spruce of the Lake states, 

 have probably been preferred; but since sounding boards are made from 

 wide stock of uniform structure, trees suitable for this purpose are sought 

 over great distances. At present, therefore, sounding board material is 

 shipped from the Northern Pacific Coast states and British Columbia, where 

 Sitka spruce supplies the demand. Sounding board material which shows 

 a number of small annual rings indicating a slow rate of growth is preferred 

 and purchased for high priced pianos. It is usually cut from trees on high 

 altitudes where the development is fairly restricted. 



Sugar maple, because it is a hardwood and easy to shape, is most used for 

 actions, although some manufacturers use mahogany and sweet birch for 

 action rails and red cedar and mahogany for hammer moulding and hammer 

 shanks. Sugar maple, owing mostly to its hardness, is used to the exclusion 

 of other woods for pin blocks. Red gum comes in for action parts, and 

 the fact that it has been reported for this use in several other states besides 

 Pennsylvania shows that its qualities have proved it practical for this 

 kind of work. 



Piano and organ keys are usually from the upper grades of white pine 

 and sugar maple, but in Pennsylvania basswood also served except for sharps 

 or flats which, like the organ stops, are made of ebony. Ebony was not 

 reported in Pennsylvania nor was any mention made of the manufacture of 

 keys and stops indicating that these commodities are brought into the State 

 ready manufactured. White ash, white pine, sugar maple, yellow poplar, 

 and mahogany furnished the material for the key bottoms because they have 

 little tendency to warp. 



Black walnut which is used in larger quantities in this industry than in 

 any other is demanded almost entirely for the outside finish or cases of both 

 pipe and reed organs. White oak, red oak, red gum, cherry, cotton gum, 

 and mahogany also served with it for this use and for consoles and pilasters 

 added only ornamentation. The frames and sills of organ cases were of 

 shortleaf pine, chestnut, hemlock, and red oak, the wind chests and bellows 

 of yellow poplar, basswood, white pine, sugar pine from California, and 

 redwood, while white pine, shortleaf pine and yellow poplar answered for 

 swell boxes. White pine is the principal wood for organ pipes but cherry, 

 sugar pine, and redwood were also reported. Action chests are of a strong 

 wood and red oak supplied most of the material. It is interesting to note 

 that redwood has begun to be used by the eastern manufacturers for interior 

 organ parts. Being fairly strong compared to its light weight, easily worked, 

 free from pitch, and possessing the property of holding its shape well are 

 the reasons why it is held in high favor with the manufacturers and will 

 probably be used more extensively in the future. 



