The data available in the literature concerning wood cutting forces permits to build models or to simulate the main wood machining processes (milling, sawing, peeling, etc.). This approach contributes to a better understanding of formation of wood surfaces and chips and the data may be helpful to optimise cutting geometry, reduce tool wear, improve tool material, and to size tool-machines. The models may also be useful for industrial application in two ways: (1) providing data to optimise the settings for a given operation (batch approach), and (2) building predictive models that could be the basis of an online control system for the machining processes (interactive approach). A prerequisite for this is that numerous machining tests on different wood materials are performed based on experiences with different kind of tools and experimental devices. With a focus on potential industrial applications, the emphasis of this review was on the wood peeling process, which is a very demanding special case of wood cutting. Although not so many industrial machines are equipped with expensive force sensors, there is a lot of high quality information available about cutting forces which may be useful to improve the scientific or technological knowledge in wood machining. Alternative parameters, such as vibration or sound measurements, appear to be promising substitutes in the praxis, particularly to feed online control systems of any wood cutting process.