how do i do this?

[Christopher Kanda]

I need to make 4 columns that will be just under 2" square and 40" long out of oak. What is the best, or prefered method to make them? Should I make them out of thick stock and mill it down or some sort of glue up? I appreciate any suggestions.

[Chris Padilla]

How will they be used? Are you concerned about how the grain flows? Otherwise, some 8/4 stock might work nicely but it all depends on what you can find and your time and your budget. Glue-up might take longer but could be cheaper although you might need to be more careful on grain-matching (if necessary). Lottsa ways to skin this cat but it depends on a lot of factors.

[Steve Jenkins]

Kind of depends on what you want them to look like. If you want all four faces to look the same I would use 4/4 stock and miter four pieces then glue them into a column. You don't need to use biscuits or anything and for clamping simply wrap the assembly with clear packing tape stretching the tape some to get good pressure. If all the faces don't need to be identical just get some 8/4 stock and joint and plane it to final size. I'd rough cut to about 1" over long before milling in either case.

[Peter Quinn]

Another option would be to veneer a mitered plywood box, but are the tops and bottom seen? I'd think the quickest route would be some solid 8/4 stock, preferably a bit heavy for flattening if necessary, and possibly rift sawn or at least cut from the edge of a wider flat sawn board to catch some rift sawn grain.