Okay hi some of you might know me, I'm Matthys. Forgot my username and even the email I used! Anyway I would like to know how to shape the piece of wood. I have no lathe. I do have a belt sander though.

What type of lure are you trying to make?

Guess I should start at the basics, topwaters.  ;D

I use a carving knife and sandpaper.  Use a saw for the rough cut then trim from there.

Where can I buy a carving knife? How much does it cost? Does it need to be a specific design?

:-?

xacto wood carving knife will do.   100, 150, 220 sandpaper will cover your needs.    I rough cut my blanks with a scroll saw and the rest is done with the carving knife and sandpaper.

dremel's work great too!

Carving tools are good and dremels are awesome. However, you do not need to even have these things.  I put together a low-tech approach that works.  The only things you need if you don't have those items mentioned above are some sand paper and some elbow grease. The piece I wrote is at the link below:

http://www.americananglersfishing.com/index.php?page=37