Glen Lake, 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
- Dimensions
- 16 x 20 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
Glen Lake beside the dunes, cut in layered Baltic birch at 16 by 20 inches. Big Glen and Little Glen, the Narrows between them, and the water color people drive hours for, all rendered one depth contour per layer.
Read more
The M-22 bridge at the Narrows splits Glen into its two halves: Little Glen, sandy and shallow enough to wade far out, and Big Glen, dropping to about 130 feet of glacial clarity. Sleeping Bear Dunes rises immediately to the west, with Alligator Hill standing between lake and dune, which is why the view from the Empire bluffs makes Glen look like a pool of Caribbean water misplaced in Michigan. On the chart, Little Glen stays in the top sheets while Big Glen's basin steps steadily down, the two personalities of one lake side by side in birch.
Contours are laser-cut, stacked by hand, and engraved with local names, the relief protected behind acrylic glass in a solid Baltic birch frame.
Anyone who has floated the Narrows on a July afternoon knows exactly which layer of this chart they were sitting on.
Glen Arbor sits just north between the lake and Sleeping Bear Bay, with Empire down the shore. The scenic route past it all is the M-22 chart, and nearby Crystal Lake continues the run of improbable blue-green water down the coast.
- 16 × 20 in
- Solid Baltic birch frame
- 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.
Not a print
Run a finger across it. Every depth is a step in the wood.
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 Glen Lake is cut, layered and etched from real survey data.
Built for the wall it ends up on.
A solid birch frame, 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
3 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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