No Lathe? Plane it!

I cut the blanks and drill for the tubing using a brace and bit. To shape the outside of the barrel, I flip my smoother plane belly up, carefully hold the blank from the top, and pull it across the plane's blade, slightly rotating the barrel with each stroke. I wear a glove to protect my fingers from the sharp blade. As the barrel becomes slimmer, I switch the position of my hand for safety. I drag from the midpoint to the tip and then flip the barrel to do the same from the other side. It creates a unique tapered look that I quite enjoy.