[Richard Flanders]

Inletting something like a shield is not at all difficult. You trace the outline on the wood with a very fine needle point then start the edge cut with a fine Xacto knife point to prevent splintering then carefully remove wood with a very small chisel. I have inlaid some incredibly complex mother of pearl and silver inlays into musical instruments. It's easier on a flat surface of course. For that I use a dremel tool mounted in their little router table attachment and dental bits my dentist gives me. This method gives you a very uniform depth to the cut. Making some very small custom gouges for this kind of inlaying helps also.