Mystery object

Can anyone identify this:

it's steel, 19/32" thick, 12_1/8" x 12_1/8" square and the groove centres are 7/8" from the edge of the plate, and I found it in my loft.

Seems far too carefully made to be just a lump of steel plate.

MTIA

Reply to
bof
Loading thread data ...

Just guessing: some sort of damper plate, the grooves being the result of it sliding up and down.

mark

Reply to
mark

Template for cutting roofing slates

Owain

Reply to
Owain

It would be terribly heavy for use on a roof. Very dangerous.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

In message , mark writes

Looking at it I'd say the grooves are almost certainly machined, not worn.

Reply to
bof

On Tue, 8 Sep 2009 01:33:30 +0100, "Bill Wright" had this to say:

Cut them at ground level then.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Jeweller's bench block?

formatting link

Reply to
Leo

In message , Frank Erskine writes

I do have a slate roof, but the slates are oblong rather than square, seems something of an over kill for a slate template, it weighs 25lbs.

Reply to
bof

My feeling is it's a reference plate for something, as I mentioned in the OP the centre ridge of the double groove is exactly 7/8" in and the centre of the single groove is exactly 7/8" in.

Reply to
bof

I don't know, but I think it would be pretty good for making crêpes on.

Is it featureless on the other side?

Reply to
Jon Fairbairn

yep

Reply to
bof

Right, so it's for French roofers to cut slates at ground level, and make their lunch on.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

So what was it doing in my loft then?

Reply to
bof

It may be a surface plate, if the other side shows signs of maching or lapping to make it very flat. If it is, it would probably have some value, which is the only reason I can think of for someone keeping it. It doesn't show any sign of rust, so it is more likely cast iron.

Otherwise it fairly worthless scrap.

Reply to
Onetap

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember bof saying something like:

I think it's an inking plate.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

In message , bof writes

Left by an ancient astronaut

they had trouble picking up channel 5 too ...

Reply to
geoff

In message , geoff writes

Blimey, so they use imperial measurements too.

Reply to
bof

In message , bof writes

What else ? ...

Reply to
geoff

It's where you put things you don't want to throw out but have no immediate use for.

Mary

Reply to
oldhenwife

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.