Great Lakes, carved in layers of birch
Every depth a real step in the wood, not a print.
“Beautiful piece, expertly crafted. Packed well and arrived in perfect condition.”
Mark S., Hudson, OH. Verified buyer
All five lakes, one piece of birch. This chart carves the entire Great Lakes system into stacked layers of wood, from Duluth at the western tip of Superior to the outflow of Ontario into the St. Lawrence, with every depth contour cut, layered, and engraved rather than printed.
Details
- Dimensions
- 24.5 x 31 in
- Material
- Baltic birch, hand-stained water
- Build
- Up to nine laser-cut birch layers
- Detail
- Carved bathymetric relief, laser-etched labels
- Soundings
- NOAA nautical survey data
About this piece
The lakes hold about a fifth of the fresh surface water on Earth. Superior alone drops to 1,333 feet, the largest lake by surface area in the world, and Michigan and Huron are technically one body of water joined at the Straits of Mackinac. On this chart, all of that becomes physical: Superior's depth reads as layer after layer of birch falling away, while Erie, the shallowest of the five, sits close to the surface, exactly as it does in the water.
Each layer is laser-cut from Baltic birch and stacked by hand, so the contours you feel are actual steps in the wood, not shading. The finish brings out the grain, the engraving stays crisp at reading distance, and an acrylic glass front keeps dust off the detail without the weight or glare of real glass. At this scale, the frame matters too: solid Baltic birch, in Dark, Light, or White.
Anyone who grew up on these lakes has a spot on this chart. The dock, the crossing, the stretch of shoreline that meant summer. Most people find theirs within the first minute of looking.
The engraving covers the places that define the system: the Straits of Mackinac and Mackinac Island, Georgian Bay and the North Channel behind Manitoulin Island, the Apostle Islands and Isle Royale in Superior, the Door Peninsula between Green Bay and the open lake, Saginaw Bay, and the Keweenaw reaching into the biggest water. Each of the five is also available as its own chart at closer scale: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
- 16 × 20 in or 24.5 × 31 in
- Solid Baltic birch frame in Dark, Light, or White
- Acrylic glass front, ready to hang
- Free next-business-day shipping on orders placed by 2 PM EST
- 14-day returns
Shipping and returns
Orders placed by 2 PM EST ship the next business day, free anywhere in the US, with tracking.
14-day returns if the size or frame is not right for the room.
Going on someone else’s wall? It ships packed and ready to wrap. Add a gift note in your cart.
Not a print
Run a finger across it. You can feel the water get deeper.
Up to nine sheets of Baltic birch, each one laser-cut to a real depth contour from NOAA survey data, stained darker as the water gets deeper, then stacked by hand. Deep water falls away layer after layer; the shallows sit close to the surface, just like the real thing.
How the water becomes wood
Anyone who grew up on this water has a spot on this chart.
The dock, the crossing, the stretch of shoreline that meant summer. Most people find theirs in the first minute. Every shoreline, island and depth contour of the Great Lakes is cut, layered and etched from real survey data.
Built for the wall it ends up on.
A solid birch frame in Dark, Light or White, an acrylic front that keeps dust off the layers without the glare of glass, and hanging hardware already on the back, so it goes up the day it arrives.
From the people who hung one
259 reviews, 5.0 average
Live from the water
Questions people ask before they buy
Straight answers to the things that stop an order.
When will it arrive?
Orders placed by 2 PM EST ship the next business day, free anywhere in the US. You get a tracking number as soon as it leaves.
Which size should I choose?
The larger size is the one most people hang in a living room, over a sofa, console or mantel; it reads clearly from across the room. The smaller size suits a hallway, office, bathroom or boat. Both carry the same detail.
How is it packed? Will it survive shipping?
Each piece ships framed, with the acrylic front already in place, in a box built for it. "Packed well and arrived in perfect condition" is the most common thing reviewers say about delivery.
What if it is not right?
14-day returns. If the frame color is wrong for the room or the size is not what you pictured, send it back.
Is this a print?
No. The water is up to nine physical layers of birch, each laser-cut to a real depth contour and stacked by hand. The names and depths are burned into the wood. You can feel every step.
Do you have my lake?
195+ lakes, bays and coastlines. Use the map below to find yours, or search it. Each of the Great Lakes, for example, is also available on its own chart at closer scale.
Not your lake?
195+ lakes, bays and coastlines
Pan the chart, jump by region, or let us find the waters closest to you. Every pin is a piece we carve.