# Strikers



## elijahhenry10 (Apr 6, 2014)

I've been making strikers out of hickory, and I still have about 6 blanks of it to turn, but I'd like to give something else a try. What's another good wood for strikers? I have an old fence post (black locust, 100+ yrs old) I'm thinking about trying to turn some out of. All I hear is horror stories about it though for being so hard. Any opinions?

Thanks
Elijah


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## JR Custom Calls (Apr 6, 2014)

Never turned it, so I can't comment on that... but hard wood in general makes good strikers. 

I usually send a one piece and a 2 piece striker with my calls. I try to use the same type of wood as the call for the top of the 2 piece, usually with a purpleheart dowel. For one piece, I'm really liking maple, paduk, and purpleheart. Haven't tried hedge because it's so hard... purpleheart is a challenge sometimes too. Seems the harder woods chatter the worst.


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## elijahhenry10 (Apr 6, 2014)

I haven't tried a hedge striker yet, but the two hedge duck calls I made came out amazing. I would try turning some of it but I don't have any striker blanks.


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## ironman123 (Apr 6, 2014)

Anyone turning single piece strikers, what total length? If you make 2 piece strickers how far do you put the shaft into the top and how long of a top do you make?.

Ray


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## ghost1066 (Apr 6, 2014)

I turn almost all 1 pc strikers they usually end up around 8" long. ERC will soften a slate down and is great to use for purrs and cuts but doesn't like metal surfaces. Black locust, hedge, and other very hard woods run good on metal surfaces. Walnut isn't as hard as you might think when used as a striker sort of in the middle. Cocobolo runs great on most surfaces as does dymondwood. Some folks like purpleheart but I am not a big fan of it. 

Those are just a very few you can use.


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## Big Brad Va (Apr 6, 2014)

I made a black locust striker the other day and it didn't give me any problems. 7.75 inches for length of my finished strikers. Around .62 diameter for the top and .30 for the shaft. 

For 2 pc strikers I was using a normal dowel inserted .75 into a 2 inch finished top. So far that's worked out for me. If it's a softer, less dense wood I might go a little longer and wider for the top.


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## manbuckwal (Apr 6, 2014)

ghost1066 said:


> I turn almost all 1 pc strikers they usually end up around 8" long. ERC will soften a slate down and is great to use for purrs and cuts but doesn't like metal surfaces. Black locust, hedge, and other very hard woods run good on metal surfaces. Walnut isn't as hard as you might think when used as a striker sort of in the middle. Cocobolo runs great on most surfaces as does dymondwood. Some folks like purpleheart but I am not a big fan of it.
> 
> Those are just a very few you can use.


You ever try DIW ?


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## bald9eagle (Apr 7, 2014)

Just made a couple DIW strikers. Man those suckers are heavy. I have to set one back up and take a little off of it. Nice crisp sound but you really do have to make them smaller than other woods. I also made some mesquite and I think I am going to have to add some weight to them to get them to work better. Still a good wood though. I have loads of persimmon and love the sound I get from it. Black locust is a good material.

Walnut is a good all around wood. I'm working on getting a good sound from oak. Quite honestly you can get a good sound from most any wood but you just need to get the weight right.


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## ghost1066 (Apr 7, 2014)

manbuckwal said:


> You ever try DIW ?


Tom the only DIW I have ever seen is sitting here now. Never turned any yet until I get busy on this duck call. I don't think I have the heart to make a striker out of it. But I might take a piece and make a tip for a striker that would work and lighten the striker.


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## manbuckwal (Apr 7, 2014)

bald9eagle said:


> Just made a couple DIW strikers. Man those suckers are heavy. I have to set one back up and take a little off of it. Nice crisp sound but you really do have to make them smaller than other woods. I also made some mesquite and I think I am going to have to add some weight to them to get them to work better. Still a good wood though. I have loads of persimmon and love the sound I get from it. Black locust is a good material.
> 
> Walnut is a good all around wood. I'm working on getting a good sound from oak. Quite honestly you can get a good sound from most any wood but you just need to get the weight right.


What species of walnut ?


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## manbuckwal (Apr 7, 2014)

ghost1066 said:


> Tom the only DIW I have ever seen is sitting here now. Never turned any yet until I get busy on this duck call. I don't think I have the heart to make a striker out of it. But I might take a piece and make a tip for a striker that would work and lighten the striker.


I'm just throwing ideas out there lol. Between all you call makers, I figure you have pretty much tried all the hardwoods...........do you epoxy the tips on ? Have u tried manzanita ?


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## bald9eagle (Apr 7, 2014)

Black walnut.


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## ghost1066 (Apr 7, 2014)

manbuckwal said:


> I'm just throwing ideas out there lol. Between all you call makers, I figure you have pretty much tried all the hardwoods...........do you epoxy the tips on ? Have u tried manzanita ?



Have not had any manzanita to try either. Was supposed to get some but guy never came through. Normally I wouldn't add a tip to a striker but it is done all the time. I would drill a small hole in each piece to form a glue pin then either CA or TBII it in place using clamps till it dried. 

What Matt said about the walnut. Just plain old black walnut makes a decent striker.


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## ironman123 (Apr 7, 2014)

Thanks for all those replies.

Ray


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## elijahhenry10 (Apr 7, 2014)

I learned a lot so far. Here's a strictly opinion question. What's your favorite type of wood to make a striker out of? Just want to see if everyone likes about the same, or if it's pretty spread out across the board.


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## ghost1066 (Apr 7, 2014)

Elijah there should be no favorite IMHO. There are too many variables in what a striker does to have a single wood work with every call. I like several woods but all for different uses that is the purpose of the striker to change what the call does. A cocobolo striker will not do what an ERC will do and the opposite is true. Some woods I like simply because they turn better and I can get them done and running easier than some of the super hard or softer woods.

Reactions: Like 2


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