Photo Index - B. M. Root Co. - Root CH Vertical Borer

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
B. M. Root Co.
York, PA

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Wood Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Other
Machine Size:
Submitted By:	Barry Stup

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	Root CH Vertical Borer
Date of Manufacturer:
Serial Number:	4858
Last Updated	7/20/2016 7:39:35 AM

Comments:

The CH model was the most popular Root Vertical Borer.
Table and stock moves up, drill heads don't move down.

BM Root Boring machines were in all the old furniture plants.
Roots are cool but have lots of wear parts, moving parts, and are expensive to rebuild.
Very heavy, all cast iron machines, made locally in York, PA.
Root started in 1908 as a foundry for general woodworking machines such as table saws, band saws, etc.
Soon enough they became the preeminent boring machine designer and builder to the growing American Furniture industry.
They dominated the market for much of the 20th century.
Root Borers came in many designs for a wide variety of boring operations, all rather boring unless you're interested in this boring line.

Competition eventually came in 1965 from Cemco, a TN company, with simple motor driven spindles on fabricated bases.
Easier to build and cheaper to sell.
Then Italian machines were imported, Sicotte, etc.
Root went under when? Don't know.
They were a huge dealer in used woodworking machines for years, too.
Once saw a Root tag on a bag cart.
Pretty sure some Moller Organ worker did that.

This here borer is a very old specimen, and one that was heavily modified to keep it running over the years by enterprising furniture factory maintenance men on a tight budget, as their corporate bosses ran the plant into the ground while planning to move production to China and close the factory, laying off 100s of workers and helping to give the south that empty, shuttered factory look.

This ancient borer was a mechanical machine, but came with a cobbled together hydraulic pack.
It has the early style chain table raising, to which the maintenance guys affixed a hydraulic cylinder for extra help,
since corporate wasn't sticking a nickel into this company.
It did get a fresh 20 HP motor on the drive shaft, which is kind of like a line shaft for the gear heads, which slide where needed on the drive shaft.

This vintage BM Root CH Vertical Borer came out of VA or NC from an old furniture plant, can't remember where.
We made it work again, by adding needed universals, telescoping spindles, arms and other parts gathered from old factory parts rooms.
It went to Eaton Custom Seating in 2013, a modern and still operating plant in TN.
That's a win.

Photo 1:

Comments: 7 gears heads with shafts, spindles and arms.
Source: cmw

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Photo 2:

Comments: Old style chain table raising with shop built hydraulic cylinder.
Source: cmw

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Photo 3:

Comments: Gearheads driven by line shaft, to telescoping spindles, with unversals
Source: cmw

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Photo 4:

Comments: Recent 20 HP drive shaft motor
Source: cmw

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Photo 5:

Comments: Hydraulic pack with air tank
Source: cmw

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Photo 6:

Comments: 10 Roots, notice two the late style Root borers, a CH and a C 311.
Source: cmw

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