In regards to my post on American Chestnut, I was misinformed by the
fellows who gave me the lumber.  Shortly after I posted it I received
a couple of emails questioning if it was the right species.

Yesterday I took a sample of the wood to a guitar maker I know who
lives about 60 miles from here.  He has his own portable saw mill so
he has more of a variety of woods to work with.  He showed me some
American chestnut and this was not what I had.  He had a piece of
sweetgum (not red gum) which matched what I had perfectly: same odor,
color and working properties.

Sweetgum is very common around here.  I have at least a dozen trees
in my forest.  Since none of the local lumber mills run any of it and
my guitar maker friend is selling off his saw, I don't know if I will
ever have any again after I use up what I have.

Honduras mahogany is a very stable wood that mills well.  I have
seen four player action stacks in which solid mahogany was used.
These were all very early, pre-1912.  Two of them came out of push-up
players.  In all of them the screws were rusted in their holes.  At
first I attributed the rust to humidity, but the last action (a very
early Starr) was kept in a dry place all its life and it still had the
same symptoms.  I can only assume that there are acids in the wood that
react with screws.  I have also found the same problem with walnut.

Brian Thornton - Short Mountain Music Works
Woodbury, Tennessee
http://www.shortmountainmusic.com/ 

 [ At http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/liquidambar/styraciflua.htm
 [ "Sweetgum is one of the most important commercial hardwoods in the
 [ Southeast."  -- Robbie