How to Remove Wood Stock Without a Lathe

Mark out the rough shape of the object you want to make on the wood stock, using a pencil. Erase and redraw your lines as necessary.

Make a series of cuts on a band saw, keeping the cuts outside of your pencil lines. Use relief cuts when removing stock to produce sharp angles. Cut away only the largest portions of stock.

Place your wood stock in a vice, tightening it so that the stock is held firmly without damaging its surface.

Place a small block plane against the surface of the stock and slide it forward, while pressing down firmly with your non-dominant hand. Plane away wood stock from any areas that still have significant space between the edge of the stock and your pencil lines.

Loosen the vice and remove the wood stock. Cut away smaller portions of the stock, and wood in tight corners, with a sharp craft knife. Cut rough shapes for gouges and details in the surfaces of the wood using sharp chisels and gouges of the appropriate size and shape.

Place the wood stock back in the vice. Rub chalk against a wood file to lubricate its teeth.

Press the file against a rough surface on the wood stock and slide it forward, against the direction of the file's teeth. File away any remaining significant areas of unwanted wood stock until your pencil lines align with the edges of the wood on all sides. Clean the file by rubbing a file brush across its teeth, parallel to their direction, as necessary.

Remove the last unwanted wood stock remaining by sanding with the wood grain using 80-grit sandpaper. Repeat the process with 100-grit, then with 150-grit paper to smooth the surfaces.