Hi Steve,

> I played a bit with curve-projection, realized I might be
> able to do what I wanted with , curve -> project then an
> extrude . just have to workout how to add a endcap....

For that method, it's usually best to actually make a cap surface first, which you do by using Trim. Then once you have a small surface piece that has the outline you need you can then use Extrude on that surface to build the solid, or you can use Shell too.

See this previous post for an example:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=4791.13

- Michael