A typical setup for drilling a series of guide holes in the top and back, using a drill press with a solid depth gauge.  The metal shims (bottom left) help set the depth for various lines of graduation. I had the opportunity to cut into a top carved using this technique many years ago.  It’s hard to imagine obtaining a more even or more accurate result.

Carving down toward the bottom of the guide holes. Near the rim, the holes barely touch the wood.

Time to switch to scrapers and sandpaper.

As mentioned previously, scrapers do well on the final clean-up of figure maple.