All,
I have been using old pool cues for striker blanks......I'm not real big were the laminating takes place and usually cut that section out....But the tail end is usually an exotic....I have turned some ebony, purple heart and some others.....The light colored wood is usually hard maple.....These make excellent strikers.........The only thing to look out for is sometimes they are weighted with steel...Make sure you remove all screws and other metal objects before cutting them up....You can find these for about .50 cents to $1.00 at Thrift stores, yard sales and any place that has pool tables, like game rooms....Just ask them if they have any broken pool cues you could have.....Most of the time they will just give them to you.....You can get about 4 to 5 strikers out of one cue.......Just thought I'd share this with all my buddys!!!

Scotty
The striker in this picture came from a pool cue.......I have not identified the wood type....can anyone here? Oh...And it's not walnut....It is somekind of an exotic...very hard...........The pot is made out of Tigerwood
