OT What-is-it device

[hubops]

At a local auction - some sort of instrument in a wooden crate - I haven't a guess as to what it is - anyone .. ?

John T.

[angelica...]

Captain Optics thinks it's a old, old range finder.

We were both frustrated by our inability to read the words printed on the right-hand sight thingy, and the labels on the outside of the crate.

[Snag]

My guess was also some kind of old range finder .

[hubops]

For surveyor's or for sighting guns .. or what ? I'm trying to google search it but rangefinder cameras keep hogging the hits .. John T.

[Cindy Hamilton]

He didn't have enough information to conjecture.

[micky]

Put -camera in the search terms.

[Dean Hoffman]

i A search for "antique range finder telescope". turned this up.

It really isn't all that similar, though.

[rbowman]

Most of the coincidence or stereoscopic rangefinders look like a piece of pipe with apertures and knobs.

[hubops]

I think maybe Clare got it - transit set-up for laying farm field drainage tile. I'm going with that. John T.

[micky]

I think it belonged to Rumplestiltskin and was for laying out bowling alleys.

[Clare Snyder]

Just going by where the auction was, and some of the other stuff in the auction I think I know what the owner used it for. Either farm drainage or concrete barn foundations - both of which would require a simple transit to lay out and level.