I’ve acquired a slab of redgum (app14" diameter) that I want to cut or dig the middle out to accomodate a birdsnest fern (app 6" wide and about 7" deep). Imagine a donut with a hole in the middle!
Except it’s bloody redgum…a timber that really gives a whole new meaning to the title ‘hardwood’. I toddled off to buy a decent chisel yesterday, and with the help of my trusty hammer, managed to remove about a half an inch of wood. So at this rate, doing an hour a day, it might take me, oh, I dunno, 42 yrs or something to get to the desired result. I was hoping for something a bit quicker than that. 
What can I do? Should I call my mate with his chainsaw to at least make some decent cuts in the hole area which would make my gouging easier? What about drilling some holes in the middle, would that work? It doesn’t need to be pretty, just a big wooden donut with a hole.
Help!
How thick is this slab? If less that a couple of inches thick you can scribe your circle then drill a starter hole just inside that line for a jigsaw or recipricating saw blade and saw away at it.
If too thick for a saw blade to go all the way through, you might consider the old stone-age dug-out canoe making process of using hot coals to burn away a layer at a time and chisel or scrape away the charred portion as you go. You just need to be careful to not get carried away and set the whole thing on fire. A slow, smoldering burn is the trick.
You want the hole all the way through the slab? If so, use a hole saw, then a keehole saw.
hot coals, have a couple BBQs on it.
Just use a drill to to make small holes around most of the circumference of the larger hole in the middle. You can get it all out this way, whacking it with a hammer to break it loose if it’s held by a few slivers of wood, or use a jig saw, keyhole, or saber saw to cut it all out and make a nicely shaped opening. I’m assuming you don’t have a lathe to make it even easier.
ETA: If you’re not looking for a hole all the way through you can use a chop saw or circular saw to make a series of plunge cuts to cut out most of a bowl shape, then chisel away the rest.
The slab is about 6" thick, and I’d like to go all the way through. Alas, it has been raining constantly here for about 5 days now, so the bbq option is out of the question (I don’t have a covered area in my backyard).
You’re right that I don’t have tools…my set consists of a few screwdrivers, a hammer and a spanner unit, oh, and a chisel I bought yesterday which is now going to be useless. 
I do however have a tradie mate living in the next suburb who might be able to oblige me with some serious tools to help. Just wanted to know what the best option/s would be.
Thanks for all your help folks. 
Well, if you have access to a drill, you could purchase a spade bit (wood boring bit) somewhere around 1/2" to 3/4" width and drill a series of holes that just touch each other around the perimeter of the inner circle. Then use your chisel to smooth out the rough edges. You could possibly use a larger size bit and drill fewer holes, but if the wood is that hard the smaller bits might be easier to manage and the smaller ridges easier to clean up.
ETA - Pretty much what Tripolar said.
Wood seperates fairly easily at the growth rings interocking grain not quite as easily, ring pourous quite easily. Trace a line by hand at the growth ring circle you want to follow, Use a 2" hole saw to drill out the center, now use a saws all or small handsaw to cut spokes right to the growth ring. Place a 1" chisel directly into the ring and give a firm hit, they might just pop right out. I build all wood bows and use the growth rings to work off of all the time. try to keep your spokes no more than about 2" apart.