The wood that Mr. Singleton describes in his posting could very well be
yellow poplar or tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera).  This durable
and cheap wood was extensively used by all German builders of mechanical 
musical instruments.  It can be coloured very easily with all kinds of
wood stains.  In restoring a Mignon reed organette I was very lucky to
have an old sideboard with planks made of yellow poplar, finished in
exactly the thickness I needed for the missing parts of the chest.

Hans van Oost, Netherlands

 [ At http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/kytreewebsite/pdffiles/liriodenprint.pdf
 [
 [   Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip poplar)
 [   Magnolia Family (Magnoliaceae)
 [   Early North American explorers were impressed with the size of the
 [   tulip poplars discovered in the New World.  Samples of the species
 [   were sent to Europe for cultivation and today tulip poplar is the
 [   most popular American tree grown in Europe. ... Although the common
 [   name suggests it, tulip poplar is not a poplar but in the genus
 [   Liriodendron. ... The genus name and the specific epithet,
 [   tulipifera, tulip-bearing, refer to the shape of the flowers.
 [
 [ -- Robbie