Making lures from scratch can be aggrivating (or at least for me really because I don"t have all the right stuff) I have never done any jointed plugs. Hand carving the hardest part is getting them balanced so they will run right. There are some places that you can buy wood blanks online some places are fairly cheep I suppose you can cut and joint them just be sure to re-seal the cut part if you do. If the blanks are not sealed they will last longer if you do, and then prime and paint. It is fairly easy to sand a pre-fab blank to change the action without throwing it off balance. You can add weight by drilling a hole and adding lead be sure to cover it with Devcon 2 ton epoxy ( or something) They have some blanks with bill slots cut, and some without. Of course if you get the precut slot you are stuck with the dive angle and have to pretty much use a different style of bill to get what you want. My first attempt was from scratch and I about gave up so you might want to start with the prefabs. Here are some web sites that have componets different style lips ect. You can paint with a cheap air brush, do foil finish like some of the rapalas have. Be sure to use a good clear. There is nothing like catching one on something you created yourself.
lurepartsonline.com
jannsnetcraft
lurecraft.com
mudhole.com
And as someone mentioned tackle underground has a wealth of information, as well as some members on here im sure.