Thread: Hollow wooden cylinder

Originally Posted by MrVinz

Alex: A hand planer doesn't make it exactly round like a lathe does, sorry.

The Mallet head at this link was planed round. On something the size you're making you won't be able to tell the difference.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ghlight=mallet

Thanks Jeff, I s'pose I could give that a show. I have a circular saw here that I can use. Glue and tape shouldn't be a prob. I'll do that first and then decide how to finish it.



Thanks everyone for your replies, it's much appreciated,

Vincent.

I didn't see there was a second page when I posted the thanks before, sorry.

Frank&Earnest: Thanks a bundle for your info mate, really appreciated. The Western Woodies sound more fun than Tafe! ) It will take a while before I'm ready to start but I'll surely remember this bit of info!

Alex: That looks very good (as does the other stuff on your website by the way!) but that's done by an experienced hand I reckon. I'm going to need 2 of these cylinders which will be used as the base for a coffee table. As it has to be completely smooth and round I'm still going for the mechanical option, sorry...

Vince

can I suggest you look carefully at your design

unless your coffee table has a glass top, no one can see into the cyclinder
even if it has a glass top only the first 50mm or so needs to be perfectly round on the inside and this depth can be achieved with a router, a long straight bit and a template

as for the outside, using a router and jig and sandpaper (as I suggested earlier) will give you a perfectly round and smooth cyclinder — I've done it 4 times now for cyclinders too long to fit the lathe

bottom line
a lathe will make getting the outside round realatively easy
hollowing the inside to a consistent diameter takes a lot more skill

so ask yourself if all of the inside has to be perfectly circular and smooth


ian

Ian: Good point, the visibility inside the cylinder goes down the deeper you look so I can get away with it maybe.

I'm going to use the 2 cylinders to make a coffee table with a glass top and glass sides. Inside it I will make a small model railroad.

Regarding skills: Although I'm a software engineer now, I graduated as a precision engineer (sometimes referred to as a toolmaker but these days often called a mechatronics engineer) and hence I have used lathes and mills etc. for years during my study.

I think I'll still go for the lathe all the way.

There is a machine that can plane angles very accurately its called a ...jointer(or buzzer if your an aussie).
The plus it has over the table saw is there are no saw marks to clean up!

MrV, yes a lathe would be the tool to get a "perfect circle" with the least amount of fuss.