Maple

Maple is another common American wood.  There are several species, but I generally use Eastern Maple as it's harder and more dense than the species native to the Northwestern United States.

Maple is light in color; almost white in most cases.  It is a nice wood to work with, nontoxic (though you should avoid breathing the dust), and very hard and durable.  Maple will gradually assume a golden color as it ages.

Maple is one of the standard woods I use to make miniSpinners.  This one has some nice brown color, unlike most maple which is fairly plain (though not unattractive).