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Custom 3D topographic map in layered basswood, framed in black, with a blue river and a raised title plaque
  • Custom 3D topographic map in layered basswood, framed in black, with a blue river and a raised title plaque
  • Close-up of a layered wood topographic map showing a blue river cut through stepped terrain with labeled contour lines
  • Framed 3D topographic map standing on a wooden desk
  • Framed 3D topographic map of a neighborhood in layered basswood, with a raised birthday title plaque, blue lakes and a pink heart marker
  • Close-up of a layered wood topographic map showing blue lakes, engraved streets, contour lines and a pink heart marker
Custom 3D Topographic Map

Custom 3D Topographic Map

6 inch $110  ·  10 inch $175

Design your map

Every map starts in the designer: choose your place and size there, and your design goes into the cart from it.

A real place, cut into wood and stacked so the land stands up off the board. The terrain is sliced into contour bands and every band becomes its own layer, so ridges, valleys and shoreline sit in relief instead of printed flat. You choose the place; the ground does the rest.

How it is made

Elevation data for your location is sliced into contours, and each contour band is laser-cut as a separate wooden layer. The layers are glued up in register, finished by hand, and set into a frame. Nothing is printed — the shape you are looking at is the shape of the ground.

Sizes

  • 6 inch — a 6" x 6" map, finished in a 7" frame
  • 10 inch — a 10" x 10" map, finished in a 12" frame

The size you pick in the designer is the map itself. The frame adds to it, so a 10 inch map hangs as a 12 inch square.

Choosing your place

Start at the map designer. Search for the place and drag the square until it frames what you want — a town, a stretch of coast, a single mountain, the lake you grew up on — then pick a size and add a title and a pin if you like. You will see every layer and a preview before anything is cut, and the design travels with your order. If you would rather not use the designer, email support@thevoidcreates.com with the place and I will set it up for you.

Water

Lakes, rivers and coastline are stained blue so the water reads clearly against the wood. If there is no water in frame, the piece comes through in the natural wood alone — which suits some places better anyway.

Some ground has more to show than others

Worth saying plainly: a mountain valley makes a dramatic piece and flat farmland does not. The layers can only show the relief that is actually there. If the place you have picked is going to come out subtle, I will tell you before I cut it rather than after — and we can widen the area, shift the center, or find a framing with more going on.

What you get

  • A finished piece — cut, glued, finished and framed here, ready to hang or stand
  • Laser-cut wood layers, hand-finished
  • Water stained blue where your location has it
  • Made to order in Illinois, USA

How long it takes

These are a different animal to the small goods. Plan on roughly one week to build yours, before shipping. The cutting alone runs a couple of hours before anything gets glued, and the finish needs time to dry. I will not promise a date I have not looked at first, so if you are working to a deadline, tell me up front and I will say straight away whether I can hit it.

Cancellations and refunds

Refunds are not accepted unless you cancel before your map is made. Once I start making it, it can no longer be refunded. To cancel, email support@thevoidcreates.com.

Ordering several

Closing gifts, wedding parties, retirements, a set of the places someone has lived — these do well in multiples. Email support@thevoidcreates.com with how many you need and I will quote it properly.

If it arrives damaged

These ship framed, which means they ship fragile. If yours turns up broken, send me a photo before you do anything else and we will sort it out.

Something else in mind?

A different size, a different wood, no frame, a shape that is not square — none of that is off the table, it is just not on this page. Tell me what you have in mind and I will quote it.

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