In reply to Jeremy Cherfas.

Table is definitely apropos if you like. I wish I had some more concrete references for you, but all my knowledge of them is broadly anecdotal, albeit with several engineers and architects in the family. These date roughly from the 1940's and after. They were frequently used by architects and draftspersons who enjoyed their broad flat and smooth surfaces and may have often put larger angled drafting platforms on top of them. They comfortably fit the most common ARCH D (24" x 26") and ARCH E (36" x 48") blueprint sizes in the United States. Most manufacturers who made them supplied them primarily for offices, schools, and industrial applications. Most of these same manufacturers also sold large, industrial multi-drawer flat files also used by designers, artists, draftspersons, and architects.

When searching for them originally I recall having more luck with dealers, collectors, and others by describing them as mid-century "architect's tables".

Here's a link to an example of a roughly similar early/mid-century table with an attached drafting board and arm: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-metal-drafting-desk-drawing-1824781508

This particular table also had a linoleum top which would have been useful/ideal as a drafting surface and would have been similar to modern multi-ply vinyl (VYCO/Borco) board covers drafters use which are "self-healing" (for compass points or X ACTO knives), "give" nicely to a variety of writing instruments, and are easy to clean.

Not all necessarily have them, but this particular one has a relatively large flat drawer for storing one's drafting tools.

It does make an excellent little art table of sorts. I do have a large felt 下敷き (shitajiki or mat) that I put on it for 習字 (shūji or Japanese calligraphy) with a 100 meter rice sumi paper roll.