New Old Kid On the Block

[tinfoil]

Hello everyone. I hope to become a regular here if time permits. I am a semi-retired builder and site carpenter. Hopefully, I should now be able to improve my bench carpentry skills - hence my presence here. My first project is going to be a sliding partition of four Shoji screens in Bolivian (or is it Brazilian?) Cedar - I will post a Sketchup drawing soon. If anyone has any experience and advice in making these I would be grateful to hear it.

My first real request however is some help in identifying this:

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I found it dumped and was surprised to discover that it is all mahogany under the white paint. Even more of a surprise was that the top is removable (a threaded rod and wingnut through the centre) and the curious arrangement of holes inside the top. What was it used for? Can anyone identify it...........

 

[tinfoil]

Looks like I'll have to have another go at posting images. Sorry about that.........

EDIT:
I have switched the images from Picasa to FreeShare.us and they seem to work better now.

Tinfoil
28/02/07

 

[DomValente]

Welcome tinfoil, the Mods will sort your pictures out you were caught by the spamulator

 

[Dad]

There's a thread on how to post images here:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... hp?t=14422

 

[George_N]

I think the spam trap will stop you posting links and images as a new member. A moderator will help you out with that. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Tinfoil

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

Here you go:

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome onto the forum Tinfoil
What part of South of the rivver do you come from? I lived 6 year in SE London, Old kent road, Peckham Camberwell New Cross etc I loved it but it would probably scare me ****less if I went there now :lol:
Cheers mate
Mr S :wink:

 

[Johnboy]

Here they are

John

 

[Colin C]

Hi Tinfoil

It looks like a plant stand or j'ardinare ( I think the spelling is right ) but I am not sure what the holes are for :?

 

[DomValente]

Why can't I see the pictures ?

 

[mudman]

Hi Tinfoil.

My first impression was the same as Colin's. In fact I'm sure I remember my old Gran having a large aspidistra on one like it.

But the inside is very strange. (Is the second picture the inside with the lid off or the underside of the lid?).
I notice that apart from the large holes, there are a number of small holes each one markwed with a letter. I notice that one set, towards the bottom, is marked 'BATT'. Could this be short for battery? This would mean that it could have contained some sort or electrical apparatus. Maybe an early radio set?

 

[tinfoil]

Thanks for the responses and for sorting the images out.

Mr.S - we've lived here in Camberwell for nearly 30 years. It is incredibly mixed - from the well-off in Camberwell Grove to the alkies down on the Green. We love it.

DomValente (Why can't I see the pictures ?). - they were actually slow to load for me too. I think the problem may be that they are located on the Picasa site. I'm just discovering that some people find accessing it very sluggish sometimes.

Colin C - yes, I picked it up thinking it was a plant stand and that it might find a home in our conservatory. Then I discovered the removable lid and the strange holes and markings inside. It's probably not too clear in the picture, but apart from the ten or so holes through the base of the top, there are groups of what look like the peg holes in a cribbage board. They are numbered (stamped) A1,A2....B1,B2 etc. Strange - to me anyway...........

 

[Colin C]

Hi Tinfoil

The holes have me scratching my head too :?

 

[Anonymous]

Mr.S - we've lived here in Camberwell for nearly 30 years. It is incredibly mixed - from the well-off in Camberwell Grove to the alkies down on the Green. We love it.

I lived on Flodden road for a while. The police used the TA parade ground opposite to park the riot squad reinforcement's when Brixton was having "a spot of bother" in about 1980.
36, 36a, 36b, 171, 184, 53? still remember the buse's but preferred the push bike fastest and cheapest. I was 28 inch waist then, 36 inch now :roll: :lol:

 

[mudman]

In the early days of broadcasting, people used to be scared off by the large microphones and so they used to disguise them as such things as plant stands.
So, I think that what you may have there is an old microphone stand with the electrics removed.

 

[tinfoil]

Interesting suggestion Barry. By the way - the picture is the inside of the top with the lid removed (you asked in your earlier reply). I'm still a bit mystified though. There are no signs of electrical contacts, or that anything like contact blocks were fitted - the 'peg' holes are blind and unworn. The through holes go through to the underside of the top - why so many?

Mrs. Tinfoil wondered whether it could have been some sort of lace-making table. Pegs would be placed in particular holes in order to acheive different patterns. The threads would come up through the through holes from below. This seems possible - but it is just a bit too awkward inside the table top.

How about some sort of battery driven electro-magnetic system to produce table-top telekinetic effects for spoof seances? It has clearly driven me mad - time to lie down in a darkened room........

 

[mudman]

I wondered if it might have something to do with seances.
If the holes go through the base of the top, then they wouldn't be visible and would most likely have something to do with ventilation.

It does look a bit 'kittish'. Something that would come with a set of parts and instructions. Maybe an old crystal radio set?

BTW, I tried to put the piccies here so that more people will get a look as they don't seem to be working. But they only appear as the URL with IMG tags. Anyone know why?

 

[tinfoil]

Whilst cleaning off some of the white paint plastered over the mystery jardiniere I noticed this code number on the underside of the lid. I don't suppose it will mean anything to anyone - but you never know.



(I have also moved the two original images so that they now appear properly in my first post)

 

[DomValente]

Unless I'm mistaken, directly above the letters BATT there appear to be four letters COND, which would possibly indicate some kind of radio equipment.
But then what the hell do I know I make furniture

 

[mudman]

Good spot Dom, that could be short for condenser which is the same as a capacitor. Sounds like it is a good bet that it used to house some sort of electrical equipment