How or Can this be done without a lathe?

[dennis thompson]

I make models and I am now making a steam powered old time fire engine . I need to make a boiler that is round with a 2 1/4" diameter about 3" long. I don't have a lathe. Is there any way to make this without a lathe?
Thanks

[Sam Force]

Maybe someone could turn 1 for you. A small job, if closer I would give you a piece. Surely some closer will help you out.

[Justin Rapp]

Dennis

There is a wood-working show this weekend in secaucus nj. There are usually some turning clubs setup there with lathes making small projects on mini-lathes. You might be able to get one of them to turn a block of wood for you to the size you want.

Just a thought...

Justin

[Doug Garson]

Is it going to be painted? If so, you could make several discs using a hole saw, glue them together, fill any gaps, sand and paint. You can also buy 2 1/4" dowell and just cut to length.

[Jamie Buxton]

You can get quite close without a lathe. Use a table saw, a hand plane, and a little sandpaper. Use the the saw to make a blank which is octagonal in cross section. Make it a foot long or so. Use the hand plane to change the octagon to a circle. It is really pretty easy - might take you ten minutes. Use the sandpaper to remove the faceting left by the plane.

[Andy D Jones]

If you have a drill press, you could drill through the center of the blank, insert a bolt through it, tighten a nut on in, then chuck the excess bolt in the drill press. Use files/rasps/sandpaper to "turn" down to the diameter you want.

I would start out with an octagonal blank, rather than rectangular (cross-section).

Andy - Arlington TX

[Frederick Skelly]

* You could probably whittle a block pretty close to round and then use a rasp and sandpaper to do the final shaping. I think I'd practice on scrap first, just to get the hang of it. (A hand plane or draw knife would work for initial shaping too - I've done it with a hand plane.)

* You can buy 2 1/4" dowel online LINK

* You could probably have one made at a cabinet shop or lumber yard that does millwork

[Bruce Page]

If you have a drill press, you could drill through the center of the blank, insert a bolt through it, tighten a nut on in, then chuck the excess bolt in the drill press. Use files/rasps/sandpaper to "turn" down to the diameter you want.

I would start out with an octagonal blank, rather than rectangular (cross-section).

Andy - Arlington TX

I've done this. Make the blank as round as possible before turning.

[John K Jordan]

I make models and I am now making a steam powered old time fire engine . I need to make a boiler that is round with a 2 1/4" diameter about 3" long. I don't have a lathe. Is there any way to make this without a lathe?
Thanks

You might have a lathe and not know it.

I met a man in Venice, Italy who made many clever very things in a tiny shop. He showed me his "lathe". It was a Dewalt electric drill fastened to the workbench with a clamp. He made turning tools by sharpening screwdrivers and such.

In this picture he is fetching something from the display window on the street.

Venice_craftsman_IMG_3513.jpg

JKJ

[Andrew Joiner]

Use this on all 4 edges of 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" stock. https://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/collections/roundover/products/201

I made most round pieces this way even when I had a lathe. With a good set-up in a router table it's fast and you can do long lengths.

[Jacob Reverb]

I need to make a boiler that is round with a 2 1/4" diameter about 3" long.

Would a standard tomato paste can work? Dimensions are pretty close: 2-3/16" diameter x 3-3/8" long

[Edwin Santos]

Do you have a bandsaw?

If so, what I would do is make a jig from a scrap piece of mdf or whatever. Double stick tape it to the bandsaw table, after drilling a hole for a #17 brad nail 1 1/8 from the edge. This is the radius of your circle. using the nail as your pivot point, cut enough 2 1/4 discs to make up your 3" length. Glue them together and you have your part.
Instead of a nail as your pivot point, you could use a 1/4" dowel. This will require 1/4 pilot holes in your blanks, which you can then glue together with 1/4" dowels to register them perfectly and keep them in place.

Alternatively, here is a place that sells 2 1/4" dowel stock, 36" length in Ash for under $20 though I don't know what they charge for shipping: https://www.caseyswood.com/shoppingc...oducts_id=2677

[Jim Becker]

Lots of ways to do it...one is to rough work a billet at the table saw into a hexagon and then us hand tools to round it off just like guitar builders do necks.

You can also find someone to turn the cylinder for you...

[Tony Zona]

Table saw lathe jig. Others like this are on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp5n7SpzGLE

[Bill Dufour]

Clarification needed... is this a steam powered model or a wood, non-working model? Huge difference in construction of a boiler. Also ask your insurance agent.
Bill D.