My wife and I make and sell signs/engravings on Etsy. This is a prototype v-carving that we sell. I sand/stain a 24x11.25"x0.75" board (maple is my favorite) and then put a layer of Oracal vinyl over it, being sure to not leave any dust underneath which forms bubbles, and carve through that. Afterwards I spray-paint with something that contrasts with whatever stain was used: gold, white, copper, silver, etc.. Let it sit a bit and then peel all the vinyl off! The most tedious part is peeling up the vinyl from all the little spots, huge PITA but the results speak for themselves :D