With an exacto knife, scribe your line deep enough to go through the clear finish on the wood . Then get a hand scroll saw with a fine tooth blade. Make sure the teeth make contact with the finished side of the wood first on the cut stroke so any splintering that may occur will be on the back side. If the blade is the other way, it will separate the clear coat and splinter the wood.

If you take your time, it will look like you used a laser.