actually, henry's post pointed something out to me.
the current set of rules seems to state that you canNOT use the surface to solve.
# C1a) During the solve the competitor must only use one hand. Penalty: disqualification of the solve.
# C1b) During the solve no other body part or any object other than the surface must touch the puzzle. Penalty: disqualification of the solve.
vs
# D1b) During the inspection and solve the competitor must only use his feet (with or without socks) and the surface. Penalty: disqualification of the solve.
# D1c) No other body parts or other available objects must touch the puzzle. Penalty: disqualification of the solve.
looking at C1a vs D1b, it seems perfectly clear that the current set of rules does not allow using the table to aid the solve. now just to establish rules about using the surface to align to the cube...