What is this surface table used for

I spotted this surface table in Bedford on a old industrial site. The surface table has a series of drilled countersunk holes, any idea what the table was used for.

Bob

Taken from Eley Metrology website 'In metrology, it is very common for customers to require threaded inserts to hold or clamp items in place during the measurement process. One area of caution must be observed if these clamping inserts are needed.'

Tony

Looks like an expensive (even more so) Festool MFT cutting station.

Difficult to even guess the ‘use case’

But given the vintage [late 1960s?] it could have been used as an optical table for holography experiments.

… of there again; quite probably not !

The source of the salvage would give us a clue.

MichaelG.

.

Ref. __ see the closing paragraph, here:

https://www.bbva.com/en/history-of-holography/

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 20/03/2023 11:45:55

Base of a Measuring Station maybe, with all the goodies removed. Something like this:

Dave

Looks like the base / table from a co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM)

The two rows of close pitch smaller holes on the LHS look like where a gantry guide rail would be attached. & the wider spaced pattern would be used to clamp the component to be measured - either directly with clamps or to attach fixtures.

In the picture above of a similar CMM to the model we had at my last employment, the guide rail on the LHS is covered, but the pattern of component clamping threaded holes can just be made out.

Nigel B.

**LINK**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages_Corporation

MichaelG.