Last week I posted a shot of a funky looking machine. In the post, I said I had no idea what it does, how old it is or even if it is still operational.

Well, all I had to do was ask. I found out that the machine is a drill press, designed to bore several holes at once. It dates back to the 1940s (like most of thee equipment at BEA) and yes, it is still operational and still in use.

There are actually two of them. Todays shot is a detail of the other one. It is slightly smaller. I believe this one can drills fewer holes than it’s counterpart. Judging from the layer of dust and cobwebs, I also suspect that this one is no longer in use. But then again, I’ve made that assumption before and have been wrong.