Can anyone tell me what kind of wood this is?

It's hard to tell from the one closeup picture, but if I had to guess I'd say some kind of oak. If you can post a closeup picture of the butt showing the end-grain structure, it would help. Below is a picture of oak that is somewhat similar to yours. The appearance of wood grain depends a lot on the angle of the cut, so many pictures of oak would look different and perhaps some other woods would look similar. Since it's the handle for a western type knife, chances are the wood is something common in the U.S., rather than anything rare or exotic. If the knife was made on some other continent then all bets are off about the wood type, but in any case it's probably something pretty common, or else cost of the handle slabs would be out of proportion to the value of the blade.

Wood - oak - 01.jpg
 
Looks like one of those Westerns Howard sent over as blanks and the kami's worked over.

I don't know what that would be but it doesn't look like oak to me. Yangdu would probably know.
The grain pattern seems quite stringy for lack of a better word. Like bamboo or something like that.

Course it could be oak too for all I know. Now we gotta figure it out before we're all insane.
 
Or it could be Sadan wood. Either I'm the smartest man alive or me and cul are typing at the same time. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.
 
Thanks guys. It does look similar the picture above. I will post a picture of the end of the handle later so you can see the grain.
 
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Looks like a perfect match to me. I don't know what family Sadan belongs to. Usually their wood over there has a counterpart over here. Not always. Different names, perhaps slightly different varieties but very similar.

Those are a great knife by the by. I got myself one just before I think they were all gone. Like it very much. Wish it was a 100 years ago so I could wear it around town and fit in with everybody else.
 
It's a bit like Wenge but a little lighter in color. I bet if you sanded that a bit with some fine sandpaper, like 320 and maybe a bit with 400 and then oiled it, it would pop even more.

The Kami's usually don't put a finish on, they just polish up the wood. Looks great, but usually even better with some oil.
Your mileage may vary and it looks great as is.
 
Bawanna said:
Looks like a perfect match to me. I don't know what family Sadan belongs to...
Click to expand...
From one of my earlier posts:

After searching for info on sadan, I'm thinking that it's the same as "sandan", a tree from the India/Nepal region. According to an agroforestry listing for sandan, "the heartwood is light golden brown, hard, strong, heavy..."

Another similarity with oak: Sandan wood was found to be excellent wood for making beer barrels for breweries in India, according to a book from 1896.

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That gives the genus and species for Sandan:
Ougeinia dalbergioides

http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=18003
 
So your saying David was right in the first place and bawanna is dumb and WRONG again?

Good thing I'm not overly sensitive or I'd be curled up on the kitchen floor in a fatal position sucking my thumb.
Reminds me I gotta get me a pacifier like my grandson. My thumbs are pruning out with all the sucking in a fatal position on the kitchen floor.
 
Bawanna said:
It's a bit like Wenge but a little lighter in color...
Click to expand...
Bawanna, you're a genius! I looked it up, and Wenge is in the same family as Sandan. (Meanhwhile, oak is not in the same family, but has a similar appearance and uses).
 
Steve Tall said:
Bawanna, you're a genius! I looked it up, and Wenge is in the same family as Sandan. (Meanhwhile, oak is not in the same family, but has a similar appearance and uses).
Click to expand...

Well now sir, I don't mind telling the world my hat size just jumped from size almost 8 to durn near 8 1/2".
I think that has to be the nicest thing anybody ever said to me. Not that I'm trying to say David is dumb or suggest he should do what I do on the kitchen floor or nothing. Who'd a thunk, Wenge in the same family. Why I might see about getting a job being a lighthouse someplace.
 
Four door chariots were made from sadan wood. Two door chariots were made of coupewood. Dont yall no nuthin:D
 
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