Do you have chickens?? I saw someone cut out one of the center boards....add bedding to the center....then take fencing and staple it to the outside of the spool....makeing a small coop for banties..or quail...smaller birds. I thougfht it was a neat idea...they are stackable...so takes up less space. Also, if you have an area that needs a small "bridge" just lay this in there sink it in the mud a little...so it doesnt roll. You would of course have to cut out the centers some, to let the water flow through. The gosts LOVE these as climbing toys!!!
I've seen them used often as coffee or picnic tables, and when I was a kid we camped at a campground that had the most fabulous climbing playground/fort thing made out of them.
Years ago, we had one w/pole thru the middle, and a bird feeder on top. The birds loved it as well. I never had a problem w/a cat getting on it to attack them.
I have three in my flower garden. I just put plants (planted in old enamelware, tea pots, etc ) and outdoor decor things on them. Stacking one on top of the other gives you a 'shelf'.
I used to work at a green house that had a lot of them. She used the tallest ones as tables with bar stools, stacked smaller ones for displaying stuff. Really cute and rustic.