My first attempt at relief / incise carving. My advice is razor sharp tools and much patience. Most of the work was hand powered, but I used a small ball peen hammer in places where if the tool jumps out of the cut it might ruin something. And given enough time, your tool will jump! Followed quickly by much #!%$&*#!. I know this personally! I found that a set of small gouges, V cuts and carving knives, think art store stuff works best. I have a set of full size carving tools, but I only used the smallest gouge, they are designed for bigger work. I also found that I used a small carving knife as a wood scraper. I could not carve a smooth flat transition from a carved surface to the stock proper. And drawing the knife edge at an almost 90 degree angle, patiently, got the job done. I also found that cutting cross grain worked better for me. Curly maple is hard, hard and the grain is a roller coaster! I could cut with the grain, but little chip outs were a constant issue. Keep your tools wicked sharp, and strop often while working. The more securely you can hold the stock while working, and good lighting helps much.