Every Lake
Shavehead Lake
262 acres, about 63 feet at its deepest, a few miles north of the Indiana line.
- 10 ft · first step
- 21 ft
- 31 ft
- 42 ft
- 53 ft
- 63 ft · bottom
About Shavehead Lake
Shavehead Lake sits in southwestern Michigan, a few miles from the Indiana border and the city of Elkhart, in a part of the state left pocked with small lakes after the last glaciers retreated. Local histories trace the lake's name to a Potawatomi man remembered as Shavehead, said to have lived near the water and to have charged travelers a toll to cross a nearby ford. The name stuck to the lake long before the surrounding township was platted into farm roads and section lines.
At 262 acres with roughly five miles of shoreline, the lake has more edge than a simple round basin would, a sign of coves and points cut into its perimeter. A modeled maximum depth near 63 feet is deep for a lake this size in the area, enough to hold cooler water through summer. The shore is lined mostly with private cottages and year-round homes, a state forest campground provides public access, and bass and panfish draw anglers from both sides of the Michigan-Indiana line.
- 23 roads engraved around the shore, 10 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Shavehead Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Shavehead Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 10 ft, 21 ft, 31 ft, 42 ft, 53 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 63 ft. The lake covers about 0.4 square miles, and 23 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Shavehead Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Shavehead Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Shavehead Lake.
Shavehead Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Shavehead Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Shavehead Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 63 ft
- 0.4 square miles of water
- 23 shore roads engraved, 10 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
