Where are tall columns made?

[Petertaylor]

We visited a church where the sanctuary has twelve fluted columns. Maybe 30 inches diameter.  Probably called neoclassical. They are about 30 feet tall. Whether tapered or not, I couldn’t tell. I assume made of wood, but didn’t go knock on one.  The church is only 20 years old, so these would have been made about that time.  What kind of shop does it take to make these huge, beautiful columns?  
—Peter

[FS7]

We visited a church where the sanctuary has twelve fluted columns. Maybe 30 inches diameter.  Probably called neoclassical. They are about 30 feet tall. Whether tapered or not, I couldn’t tell. I assume made of wood, but didn’t go knock on one.  The church is only 20 years old, so these would have been made about that time.  What kind of shop does it take to make these huge, beautiful columns?  
—Peter

It's not likely something like that would have been made out of wood. I would bet that columns of that size utilize PVC or aluminum wraps to achieve the effect. It would have be extruded at that length (in fact, at even half that length, likely so).

In the old days, things like that were usually made out of plaster. There are many examples of ornate architecture in Europe. Specifically, the Munich Residenz has a lot of pretty ornate furnishings and architecture. It's impressive how much time must have been spent.

[EdL]

Probably aluminum.

Ed

[MstrCarpenter]

Years ago I worked on a commercial (retail) job that had 8" and 12' columns. They were made up of aluminum extrusions that fit together king of like the laminate floor does; they fit easily together at an angle but when flat they're locked tight (or in this case, beyond flat). The last piece had to be slid in from an end. I don't remember actually testing them but I think they were the same extrusions, just more of them, for the larger columns.

B.T.W. they were load bearing, but I don't recall what the bearing surface was. The supplied base and caps, although quite plain, fit reasonably well.

I have a couple turned style 5" x 5" posts holding up a small roof over my front door. Basically they're PVC coated foam with a 1-1/2" steel post in the center. I think these were vacuum formed in halves then heat welded together. (I remember gently scraping the welds smooth and sanding.) They look like painted wood from more than a foot away. Been over 15 years and I've never painted them, the railings, or any of the other millwork on the barrel vaulted gable roof. The decking, two risers, and the front door are in desperate need of fresh paint though.

[ianab]

All sorts of ways to build a pretty impressive column. If it was structural and complied with modern building standards you could encase a steel, reinforced concrete or even glue-lam wood in pretty much any covering you want. Could be a steel beam with a fibreglass shell for all we know. If it's not structural, it could just be fibreglass all the way? Aluminium is certainly an option too.

Here's a Church in NZ that has cardboard A frame "columns". It was originally designed and intended as temporary replacement after the main church had been earthquake damaged, and only using structural cardboard tubes. That turned out to be impractical, so they are cardboard tubes with wood and steel inside. (and it's a more permanent building) 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardboard_Cathedral

But swap "cardboard" for whatever material you want, and you get the idea.

[packerguy®]

There was a place that the guys on This Old House visited that did architectural reproductions and they talked about a few projects in Washington DC that they worked on and it was things like that.

But everyone here is right. Likely they are aluminum or PVC. There is almost no chance a new church is gonna pay what a wood column would cost, not to mention the labor would be to install. 

Making wouldn't be the hardest part....its the transport and install that seems like would be a bear. Not to mention the weight.

[AHill]

Some commercial column manufacturers make molds of the column then cast the column using fiberglass. PVC has a lot of expansion and contraction with temperature, so longer columns need to account for that. Another common material for commercial columns is composite stone or cast concrete. Especially if the column is structural. In that case, the columns are made in sections with built-in connections and stacked together at the job site.

[TheCabinetmaker]

I own 2 properties that had wooden columns, both built in 1903. About 15  years ago I replaced them with wood. About 5 years ago I replaced them with fiberglass because they had rotted out. The fiberglass ones had a structural rating. These were only 8', so far they are great and still look new.

[PaulM85]

We visited a church where the sanctuary has twelve fluted columns. Maybe 30 inches diameter.  Probably called neoclassical. They are about 30 feet tall. Whether tapered or not, I couldn’t tell. I assume made of wood, but didn’t go knock on one.  The church is only 20 years old, so these would have been made about that time.  What kind of shop does it take to make these huge, beautiful columns?  
—Peter

https://www.marksupikco.com/

Mark Supik in Baltimore makes them, check out his website. He teaches classes too. 

Paul Mitzel
Bel Air, MD