I got a piece of galvanized sheet metal (12''x48") for $12 from a heating equipment company. Then
glue the sheet metal to a flat board. The tool I found most useful for stick building is this one:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK332&P=7
I was building a Pen Knife and it worked very well with 1/4 thick stick.