My grandmother had a small smooth piece of wood. It looked like a tongue depressor on one end and was pointed on the other. The pointed end she used to turn points and corners, the rounded end she used to press down her seams. She held the seam against a table top and rubbed the wood over it until it was fairly flat. You can still buy wood presses. They also had a wooden presser that looked more like an iron and they would sort of pound down their seams. If you click on the little pictures you can see both.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/219505364/cherry-wood-sewing-stilletoseam-presser