ORIGINAL: sabinajiles

A water based, paste type paint and varnish remover will easily remove the varnish and does not give off any fumes or vapors, although you do need to wear rubber gloves to avoid skin contact. Honestly, it is not that bad or difficult to do. Apint of the remover only costs about $5, with another$5 for steel wool and sandpaper.A light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper will not change the dimensions of the stock. You only have to sand if you want to remove some of the small scratches that might be in the wood. If sanding bothers you, then skip it and just polish and clean the raw stock with fine steel wool.

The whole job to strip a stock and get it ready for the first coat of oil won't even take an hour. It is not hazardous, anyone can easily do it, if they wish, and I don't see a need to hire this job out but everyone has to go with what makes them comfortable.