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

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Freud Super Dado Saw Blade Set 8" x 5/8" Bore

Leaves a dado with a flat bottom and even performs excellent on plywood and melamine.

Buy at Woodcraft

Veritas Precision Square

This precision square is incredibly versatile, from checking squareness to dialing in machine setups.

Buy at Lee Valley

Leigh Super 18 Jig

This jig is a value-oriented alternative to the Leigh D4R, but its template system is just as excellent.

Buy at Amazon Buy at Woodcraft