Thread: Cardboard tubes

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does anyone know where you can get those cardboard tubes? i want to make some pileings for my pirate theme.

I'd go to a homedepot or a lowes. That's where I get my tubes for the homemade bunny toys. Also check with construction sites, they may have extras or leftovers from a project.

how much do the y usually run as far as price and how big around? thanks also!

It depends on you really. Check out their respective sites. Also, if you want to test out your idea without the hassle of buying everything full-size, use a couple of paper towel and toilet paper tubes as a test bed for the pilings. Use natural twine for the ropes and bits of clay for the barnacles.

How big do you need them?

We have a large format printer at work & those tubes are close to 4 feet long with a 4-6 inch core.

I used a bunch to make candles, just cut 'em to different sizes.

Not sure how many are lying around, they tend to get recycled when I don't snag them.

You could always check with Kinkos or some other print shops that have large format printing unless you need something larger. I'm sure they're just tossing them too.

what size of tubes do you need? the post office has shipping tubes. i don't know if they're free or not.

Fabric stores just ask the clerk you can get them for free

If you're talking about the BIG tubes like this:
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?...llow&cId=PDIO1

They carry them over in the building supplies (near the concrete stuff since they are concrete forms) for between 6-12 dollars in my area.

You can also get them at flooring stores (any place that sells carpeting) I would think. Wouldn't hurt to ask. I have one that is about 10 foot long by about 5 inches diameter that I saved from a rug I just bought, and the wall-to-wall stuff probably would be bigger/thicker.

Yep, they're called Quikrete tubes, Sonotubes, or just concrete pouring tubes. They run from about 5" in diameter on up to 12" diameter and are usually 4' long.
I used a bunch of them to create pilings and then placed woodgrain contact paper on the outside along with some latex barnacles and 1" thick rope.
They last you a couple of years before the rain soaks through them and they begin to fall apart.
Now, I'm looking for a replacement material, perhaps a 6" dia. plastic or fiberglass pipe or tube, but I can't find anything at the local hardware store.
Or is there some way to completely waterproof the inside and outside of these tubes? The inside has a smooth film that latex paint may not stick to.

Do you have a box plant in your area? With that I maen a plant that makes boxes, the tubes that they have can and will support 6-9,000 lbs of paper on a roll. When I worked in the industry we threw them into a dumpster, they are typically 5" od and close to 10' long. Hope this helps Most plants call them "cores"