If you ever get to the British Museum, you will find an almost identical device in the reconstrution of James Watt's workshop(if it is still there !!).
He invented/designed the same mechanism for copying busts in stone, and his cutting tools were drills. Late 18th century. He braced his with a "pyramid" space frame on both the pivoting frames.
The copying process was a case of continually drilling into a block of stone from all directions, and reducing the diameter of the drill as he got closer to the finished detail.
Anything new under the sun ???
Regards
John
It's like doing jigsaw puzzles in the dark.
Enjoy today's problems, for tomorrow's may be worse.