I recently needed to make a large coopered oak column that was 12 in. dia. by 4 ft. long. Because these dimensions exceeded the capacity of my lathe, I devised a method for making the cylinder on my router table.

First, I glued up the coopered cylinder and removed most of the waste from the corners with a power plane. Then I screwed a plywood disc to each end and drilled centered holes in the discs through which I placed a 1-1/4-in.-dia. iron pipe to serve as an axle. To hold the coopered column in place, I built a carriage with uprights on each end that kept the rough cylinder suspended so that it just cleared the top of my router table. I also clamped a guide board to the router table to keep the cylinder centered directly over the router bit.

By rotating the cylinder over the router bit as I gradually advanced the carriage across the table, I was able to turn a perfect cylinder that required only moderate sanding.

Caleb Carlson, Sandpoint, Idaho

Fine Woodworking Magazine, April 2002 No. 155

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