The first thing that I thought of is a scissor lift, and after a few clicks searching i found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PVC-Plastic-Lab-Jack-6-x-6-Inch-150mm-Laboratory-Scissor-Lift-/231616710450
Are you set of having it cylindrical? You could use this one and just make a circuit to turn the gears to make it lift. I suppose there are other things you might be able to use, good luck on your project. Cheers!
