I appreciate the additional info Brian.
If I had to guess..and yes, that's all it is..I would have guessed that the matting was rolled just like barrel stamping..I could be wrong <or> there simply was no firm fixed method shop to shop.
Another thing I will definitely affirm & can proclaim w/a fair degree of certainty (w/out benefit of diligence on the subject), the contour would have been machined prior to matting; either with conventional cutting tools (ball mills), grinding op, or using a planer...my best guess while considering the age of the process would be the utilization of a planer to cut the contour & possibly finished by grinding or handwork to apply the proper finish.
The fact that you run into a bit of hemming & hawing is of no surprise to me whatsoever for many reasons. The cost benefit is a difficult element to overcome due to the degree of setup..especially one that would accommodate any given set of barrels that happen to walk through the door on any given day.
Plus..and speaking to Mr. Murphy's point..a CNC mill with a working envelope required to do the machine work properly is actually quite large.
I own CNC equipment & I could do it in my shop but it would have to be done on a Bridgeport..even that would be pushing the envelope as well due to the fixturing which robs a goodly amount of machining space.
I can think of several ways to skin that cat and the most likely scenario would involve a dividing head or a rotary table to ensure the matting cuts are perfectly perpendicular to the rib surface about the contour..it wouldn't be right nor look right if this was not the method employed using conventional cutting tools. THEN you have the matter of making sure your tools are and remain very sharp so as to not throw up a nightmare of a burr to contend with following machining.
Going back to CNC..I myself have not done any significant degree of engraving by machine.
I can visualize a heavily spring loaded engraving tool that would negate the necessity to rotate the rib about its contour in an engraving operation..I may be talking right out of my you know what w/that though..seems feasible.
I'd very much like to hear from any other machining professionals who may have experience w/engraving.
I'd also like to add one last tidbit..despite popular belief..CNC is not some magic machine that you just throw a slab of metal into and push a button..that's quite an oversimplification in fact.
While you'll be hard pressed to find somebody whom appreciates hand work & fine fitting more than me - I'd also state that it may be a fairly quick rush to judgement while considering the use of CNC technology vs conventional machining & hand work.
In the proper hands, CNC is just a tool like anything else.
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