Hi Steve and all,

I don't really know what the item was originally used for.  The "wear"
pattern
only suggests a horizontal load use for this particular item.  There is
indeed likely a
wide variety of use variations as you web referenced.

Meanwhile...I've added another 6th picture and text for a crude "crossed
rod" pivot using
the same item.  The "crossed rod" type of pivot is in my opinion much better
than using ball bearings, as from past table top edge experiments; its
resulting visual
low level small movement response (less than 1/16") seems to be quite abit
more responsive....i.e.,
its undampened visual movement has been known to continue for ~ 2 hours more
than
using a variety of ball bearings.  In this picture however, it is different
as the 90 degree rods serve
to limit unitentional assembly displacement in the lateral axis...which is a
improvement over
a simple straight rod riding atop the two extended table top rods.

http://home.earthlink.net/~meredithlamb/





On 10/25/07, Steve Hammond  wrote:
>
>  Hi, The design suggests to me that it may have been connected to a round
> object such as a sailboat's mast. I once read about a counter balance device
> that reduced the port/starboard sway when a boat is at anchor buy using a
> counterbalance pendulum to create an apposing force that reduces the wave
> energy. The rollers in the top photo suggest to me that they would allow the
> base object to be hoisted to the upper portion of a mast increasing the
> effect of the pendulum. Here is a link to some patents that describe this
> idea.  www.freepatentsonline.com/CCL-114-122.html
>
>  My guess, Steve Hammond
>
>
Hi Steve and all,
 
I don't really know what the item was originally used for.  The "wear" pattern
only suggests a horizontal load use for this particular item.  There is indeed likely a
wide variety of use variations as you web referenced.
 
Meanwhile...I've added another 6th picture and text for a crude "crossed rod" pivot using
the same item.  The "crossed rod" type of pivot is in my opinion much better
than using ball bearings, as from past table top edge experiments; its resulting visual
low level small movement response (less than 1/16") seems to be quite abit more responsive....i.e.,
its undampened visual movement has been known to continue for ~ 2 hours more than
using a variety of ball bearings.  In this picture however, it is different as the 90 degree rods serve
to limit unitentional assembly displacement in the lateral axis...which is a improvement over
a simple straight rod riding atop the two extended table top rods.    
 
http://home.earthlink.net/~meredithlamb/
 
 


 
On 10/25/07, Steve Hammond <shammon1@.............
> wrote: 


Hi, The design suggests to me that it may have been connected to a round object such as a sailboat's mast. I once read about a counter balance device that reduced the port/starboard sway when a boat is at anchor buy using a counterbalance pendulum to create an apposing force that reduces the wave energy. The rollers in the top photo suggest to me that they would allow the base object to be hoisted to the upper portion of a mast increasing the effect of the pendulum. Here is a link to some patents that describe this idea.  
www.freepatentsonline.com/CCL-114-122.html 

 
 My guess, Steve Hammond