What wood is this

[NJBillK]

The man who made it is now passed away

That doesn't mean you/we can't research his works. Possibly gleaning a lead in the process.

 

[MarkSD]

That doesn't mean you/we can't research his works. Possibly gleaning a lead in the process.

Oh we actually know a ton about him. He was a farrier. Only
Made knives part time. When he passed away he left all his stuff to his children. My stepdad bought his anvil from his daughter. He didn’t keep records or use the internet or anything like that. His name was Kenneth Shuler. From Shannon GA

 

[RunningManForge]

That's defiantly curly mango or koa. More like koa i think. curly mango has only become more common recently, depending on how old the knife is. The older the more likely its koa. However Koa and curly mango are so similar that you cant really tell for curtain.

 

[seabil]

Here you go.

Curly maple has my vote.

If you can post a clear picture of the end grain if possible, should help.

 

[Greenberg Woods]

Its maple. The darkness is caused by a mix of age and lots of oil. Curly grain absorbs oil at diffrent rates accross the grain which causes the curl to become pronounced in color over time.