What is saatisal wood...

Drdan

Drdan

Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
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Just how hard is it, does it like to be carved, what would be a North American equivalent? Do the kamis usually use this for their wood handles, or are there other varieties typically used? I was just on the HI website, and the handle on the Special Cherokee Rose caught my eye. I wish I had a closeup on the wood's grain!
 
Dan, saatisal is Nepalese "hill oak". Very tough due to it's environment. The question comes up occasionally, but I'm not sure that anyone has tracked down the scientific name of the tree. It's probably several types, anyway. Whatever is available at the time.

I've heard mention of some of the HI products coming with rosewood handles, but have never personally seen one.
 
Originally posted by Drdan
I wish I had a closeup on the wood's grain!
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Aardvark told it as it is. The wood can range from a very straight grain to some beautiful burly grains.
But even the straight grain when properly woodchucked can show up some beautiful variations when turned in the light.:D

I have a couple of early HI khuks with the rosewood handles. I miss the kamis not using it anymore.
 
Thanks Aardvark and Yvsa. Is the dark wood that I see on many of the khukuries a stained Nepalese hill oak, or is it another species? Any links to closeups of the various woods the craftsmen use would be really appreciated.
 
No stain is used on the handles, they're all natural color. The differences you're seeing are probably the differences in the grain whether straight grained or burly.
But there could be some different woods used as well however all the ones I have of the later khuks are all saatisal.
Some of my burly saatisal handles are very dark while some of the straight grained ones are very light in comparison.

Don't have any links, sorry.
 
There's certainly a lot of variation in coloration going from the straight to burly grain. In your experience, what can the wood be compared to as far as hardness in a North American hardwood, or well known exotic? Thank you... Dan
 
Dan saatisal is equal to American Walnut and some of the varities of oak.
I'm well satisfied with my khuk's with the saatisal handles and think you will be too.:)
One of my Cherokee Rose has a carved saatisal handle. The carving is nice but I wouldn't recommend it for a khuk as it's very abrasive in the hand.
If I ever decide to make the carved handle a user I'm going to smooth up the sharp carved edges with sandpaper to make it more user friendly.
If you're going to special order a khuk you might be able to request a nice burly grained wood handle. They are beautiful!!!!:D
 
This is what I had in mind when I wanted to know if the khukuris could be upgraded to extreme levels of finish! I remember having had read "glow in the dark saatisal" in some post. I had no idea what the poster was talking about, and I'm glad I didn't open a new thread asking about this "glow in the dark wood"! This puts a whole different slant on the khukuries; I'd love to do this to my own khukuri when it arrives Great stuff! Dan
 
Yep, Satisal, though I can't seem to find any reference to wood by that naem anywhere else, takes an absolutely beautiful fnish with the correct work. TOok one of the last batch of 12" villagers, nad reshaped handle to my liking, and then did 20 coats of truoil. Wasn't even my best work, coupla spots that didn't get sanded quite right, so a bit duller, but still, ya put on some Johnsons and buff it up and get absolutely beautiful color, grain, and depth on the stuff, and wasn't even slippery then, still nicely grippy.

Course, that took about a month of good work, every night, or every other night(steel wool or wet sandapper to knock off tops and then aply another coat).

If I do it again, will probably try some teak, tung or BLO and see if I cna bring out a different look.
 
Originally posted by Yvsa
Dan saatisal is equal to American Walnut and some of the varities of oak.

I know oak is very tough and can hold up very nicely to blunt trauma. Saatisal is nice stuff. I hadn't the foggiest idea that you could get a "polyurethane like" polish on the khukuri handles. This raises the bar considerably in my eyes.

If you're going to special order a khuk you might be able to request a nice burly grained wood handle. They are beautiful!!!!:D
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:

I was sad that the spotted deer horn might not be possible on the 18" GS, but the last 10 minutes really cheered me up! I'd place a few smiles here if I knew how to insert them :D :D There we go!

Along with Aardvark, you just "made my day", Yvsa. Thanks :D Dan
 
The Saatisal used by the kamis has been typed by genus, etc., and is fairly common throughout northern India and Nepal. The trees from the hill areas go through harsher conlditions than those in the lowlands, resulting in more spectacular grains. Google-Nepal used to have several sites on Saatisal, but all the hits I got just now were to HI Forum posts. Just so it isn't boring, there IS another Saatisal. It is a dark chocolate wood that can have a brilliant gold burl. I once had an oversized UBE, by Sanu, handled in this wood. It is also used by furniture makers, and in construction - Many of the old temple doors are made from it, because it is so dense and oily that it is almost impervious to weather. As to identifying it by type and genus - faggidaboudit. In a country with one "common" language and seventy-plus local-regional tribal languages, the word "saatisal" can change meanings over the top of the next hill. The oak Saatisal is used for over- the-counter medicines, and export of the wood as lumber or timbers is prohibited by the government. The rosewood used on the Khuks I've had is a dalbergia. Each continent has several strains of dalbergia, and this is different from what I've seen from India - nice, dark brown with a maroon tint, and black pinstripes. The single most beautiful piece of Saatisal I've seen was on a Malla, which Bro now has. I think it was done by "The Kami With No Name" (but I don't remeber which of the three of them made it :) ) and that is another Nepali tale. A Bura GS that I still have is plain, with 1/4" black stripes along its length. After an oil finish, you can turn the handle from tip up to about 45° and the stripes disappear - gone - zilch. Turn it just a bit more, and they reappear as gold flakes, oak sap grain. That is the attraction of Nepal. Everything is different there. Common things are a little bit different, and their uncommon things can only be explained as having "come down from the clouds, 10,000 years ago".
 
Dalberia latifolia (locally "satisal," "beete," "shisham"), known in commercial trade as "Rose Wood" or "Indian Rose Wood," grows at elevations of 0 - 1500 meters in tropical asia. It grows to a mature height of 20-40 meters with a girth of 1.5-2.0 meters. The bark is light grey, and the flowers are white. It is used for furniture, knife handles, and other uses where a hard, stable wood is desired. It is a major commercial crop in Indonesia.

"Satisal" is also given as the local name of an entirely different species, Dipterocarpus marsupium, according to the Nepali government.
 
AHA!!! THANK YOU, Thomas. I'm embarrassed to say how many hours I looked for some additional information on the other Saatisal (s?).
 
Originally posted by Walosi
Many of the old temple doors are made from it, because it is so dense and oily that it is almost impervious to weather

Probably wood eating insects too! Great post, thanks for the info, Walosi! Dan

After reading this post, I may reconsider sending a block of wood to the kamis so they can upgrade the handle before they send it out. :D
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Turns out the government site misspelled the other "satisal." It's Pterocarpus marsupium, and provides a gum or resin used in tanning and for treatment of diabetes. It is a medium density wood and the species is found in the Himalayas and in hilly regions throughout the Indian sub-continent. I think our "saatisal" is D. latifolia, "Rose Wood."
 
Man, this is a great Forum! The only problem is that there's "too much" infomation in the archives. :eek:
 
Drdan - Sending handle material to BirGhorka has come up many times over the years. The problems, besides talking the kamis into using it, are mostly just in getting it there, and once there, getting it through customs at that end. By the time it got to BirGhorka, the shippng, duty and baksheesh would make a chunk of Micarta more expensive than an equal amount of ivory....and that assumes it wouldn't just be pocketed at the border, anyhoo.
 
Originally posted by Drdan
Just how hard is it, does it like to be carved, what would be a North American equivalent? Do the kamis usually use this for their wood handles, or are there other varieties typically used? I was just on the HI website, and the handle on the Special Cherokee Rose caught my eye. I wish I had a closeup on the wood's grain!
Click to expand...

Here's a close-up of my Garud Ang Khola handle which is made of saatisal wood. I was looking all over for info on this wood and now it's right in front of me...thanks for asking the question Drdan. :)
 
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