Manhattan, 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
Manhattan and its waters in laser-cut Baltic birch, 13.5 by 31 inches: the island itself, the rivers that define it, and the harbor that built it, carved one depth contour per layer in a tall format that matches the island's shape.
Details
- Dimensions
- 13.5 × 31 in
- Material
- Baltic birch, hand-stained water
- Build
- Up to 12 laser-cut birch layers
- Detail
- Carved bathymetric relief, laser-etched labels
- Soundings
- NOAA nautical survey data
About this piece
Manhattan is easy to forget as an island until you see it charted. The Hudson runs deep along the west side, a drowned fjord carrying ocean tide a hundred miles upstate; the East River, not a river at all but a tidal strait, boils through Hell Gate where its currents once wrecked ships by the hundred; and at the Battery the two meet in the Upper Bay within sight of the Statue of Liberty. On the chart, the island sits as a long spine of birch between two engraved channels, with the harbor opening wide at its foot.
Each contour is a separate laser-cut sheet, stacked by hand and engraved, with acrylic glass over the relief and a solid Baltic birch frame in Dark or Light.
Eight million daily crossings over and under this water, and almost nobody looks at it. This chart is for the ones who do.
The engraving spans the Battery and the bridges, Hell Gate and the Harlem River, Governors and Roosevelt islands, and the piers up both shores. The neighboring boroughs hold their own charts: Brooklyn and Staten Island.
- 13.5 × 31 in
- Solid Baltic birch frame in Dark or Light
- 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 12 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 Manhattan is cut, layered and etched from real survey data.
Built for the wall it ends up on.
A solid birch frame in Dark or Light, 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
2 reviews, 5.0 average
Plus 3,400+ reviews across our other charts, 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 12 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?
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Pan the chart, jump by region, or let us find the waters closest to you. Every pin is a piece we carve.