Here's some tent pegs, freshly dl'd from the nets, will be good for template. With making such you can practice cutting perpendicularly to the grain and in an angle.
The grain runs more or less straight in the wood (up and down) but at certain places (like where's a know) it can warp. You'll see how the wood behaves differently.
You can leave a stake/peg round at first (if you make it from a stick), but trying to make it rectangular is also a good practice.
Don't whittle large portions, only little. As I said, it's removing little material with little force.

Also get iodine, sterile gauze and adhesive for your wounds as you'll cut yourself a lot in the future.

>>29335
I like those, I yet to try ash, looks nice material.