There are two main techniques for making stone tools. Both are based on the reduction of rough stone. The first is known as chipping or flaking. Flaked stone tools are made by repeatedly striking the raw material with another stone (or antler), and systematically removing flakes along a carefully planned path. It is this orderly pattern on chipped stone tools that allows archaeologists to distinguish items made by humans from natural stone. This action reduces and refines the original piece as each flake is removed, until the desired tool begins to take shape. Larger, less intricate tools such as hide scrapers were made this way.

Pecking, grinding and polishing (the second major technique) were used to shape more complex stone objects, such as arrowheads or stone pipes. Small stone-headed hammers or grinding stones might be used in this process.

These manufacturing techniques could be used alone or in combination, depending on the type of stone object being made.