with pianos-
everyone else has covered the alloys in breaking down. here is some info on the lumber.
the harp (cast iron) is near a large wooden sheet, the soundboard in uprights (you wont find too many baby/grand pianos for free) and the harp is birch, maple, or sitka spruce.
the fine grained yellowish-to brown-orange red woods with open grain (dimples, dark holes, can sometimes be visible, but sometimes also you can feel the hole through the finish, i.e. they didnt use a grain filler when finishing) will be mahogany.
if the piano was manufactured in the U.S. before 1964, you may be fortunate enough to have cuban "real" mahogony on your hands. definately worth cutting off clean and straight , then prime the ends with a water sealing. measure approximate dimensions, then look up "luithiers" in your state. instrument builders will pay good money for even fake mahogany (african mahogany, ivorensis)
the real money is in rosewood. even on the oldest uprights, it can be veneer on face panels, but the solid wood is worth exhuming. true dalbehrgia nigra , brazillian rosewood, is very rare, and hard to find cheaply. many luthiers will resize rough stock fresh. regardless of wether you have any known allergies, use a dust mask and good gloves. while the dust isnt as toxic as purpleheart, people sensitize quick to repeated exposures. if you manage to find a brazillian rosewood trimmed upright, and its not restorable, definately seperate that timber, seal and fresh cut exposed ends, and store dry. sell, freebay or craigslit. if you should happen to have a babygrand that looks like mahogany or rosewood, do Not dismanlte it. odds are there a 2 or 3 guys in your state that refurbish them, and those pianos are worth a new truck. older, solid rosewood grand pianos can go for over 20,000$ , so do your research. its worth it.
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