when i made them on a lathe, i didnt glue anything in fear of killing the sound. you can find 1" blocks of wood that work well..(think it was 1" i used..) then turn the edges and round the block as a whole cut to about a foot. then go ahead and turn your striker how you like.

my shop teacher never let me turn mine down far enough. the lathe/piece made a hum/whistle when it got down pretty thin and he would make me stop...another 20 seconds and it would been done, but i understand his cause for concern...

you can do all kinds of things for designs with the top of the striker..dont let a store bought striker limit you...look at some customs online to get ideas...

good luck! take some pics!!