Edges2 has a very good informative article about the selection of types of blade materials on thier website and says each material (alloy, wood, plastic, rubber ) is good for a specific purpose.
I prefer aluminum as well. Specifically 6061 1/4". Aluminum is much easier to work with then steel, yet more durable than wood. When they do get a chip, its easy to file smooth again.
I personally make my own and those of my training group. There are some great commercial manfactures of these types of blades out there, but i wanted something more personal (without the custom price!!!), so I did it myself. There was a time when I was going to start selling them in quantity, I sold a few on ebay and many through our local martial arts store, but I didn't/ don't have the time, so now I do them for myself and friends and sell the extras through the store.
It is not very difficult to make if you have some basic wood working skills. I now have a good grinder and belt sander, but the first ones I made were done with basic electric hand tools. If you try this, be careful with the grinder, you can't treat it like steel, aluminum has a lower melting point and if you just grind away, you'll end up with a paperweight. I usually finish mine with a slight texured finish or go all the way and polish it (people tend to like the shiney ones). For the handle, I use either paracord wrap over ABS scales or thicker ABS plastic scales. You could use wood or bone, or whatever.
Much thanks to Ray Dionaldo of FCS Kali and WarriorCraft blades for his support and knifemaking tips.