A story that still makes me smile:
When I was still a college student, I met a very pretty girl that was a recent high school graduate.
Making small talk, I asked what she was doing—school, work, etc.
She said that she worked as an engraver at a local jewelry store.
This sounded like a skill set quite beyond her years. So I asked her about it.
She said that she first clamped the piece to be engraved in a vise. Then she placed the letters to be engraved in a second vise. (There were several more steps, but I don’t remember them.)
Then she traced her stylus over the letters and a diamond tipped cutter engraved the letters.
I said, “That doesn’t sound too hard.”
She replied, “Oh it is. You have to get the letters in the right order.” [eek]
So things are never as simple as they seem. [big grin]
As a sidebar, Sears used to sell a larger scale version to use with their routers to make signs.
Milescraft continues to make a similar one. (But you still have to get the letters in the right order.) Interestingly, the jig uses a “two door stopper” method for clamping that I still use on my MHT inspired table top.