A framed layered wood map of Oriental, North Carolina: pale wood land with engraved streets over five shades of blue water

The flat design of the Oriental map: the land layer with its roads and a compass rose, over five blue depth bands — The actual design: land on top, five depth bands, then the base. The blues come from real soundings, not guesswork.

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Oriental Layered Map

A 12-inch map of Oriental, NC built from seven laser-cut layers, with engraved streets and water depths taken from real NOAA soundings.

Oriental sits on the Neuse River just short of Pamlico Sound and calls itself the Sailing Capital of North Carolina, which makes it a good map: more water than land, and a town that hugs the edges.

Each layer is cut from its own sheet. The top one carries the land, with every street engraved into it. The five below are water, each a little deeper and darker than the last, cut from real depth soundings so the shading actually means something. Stack them flush and the harbor falls away into the river.

Material: Basswood layers, hardwood frame
Process: Laser cutting + engraving
Size: 12 × 12 in; seven 3 mm layers, about an inch deep
Make it yours: Any city, coastline, lake or meaningful location.

About the picture: that's an AI render. The real one sold before anyone took a decent photo of it. We can make you another.

Make one for my location