Graphical Construction Glossary >> Tools. >> Power Tools >> Boring Machine

Boring Machine

A multi-head machine used for drilling more than on hole at a time.

Line Borer

A machine that can be set up to bore many holes in a straight line

Probably the first ever multiple boring machine.

The machine above was designed by Mark Isambard Brunel and built by Henry Maudslay and it started it's working life in 1808. This machine and five others are on display at the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth, UK.

This machine and others like it built at the same at time created the first ever large scale mechanised production or assembly line. In this case these historic machines converted the production of sailing ship's rigging blocks from a hand labour intensive industry to a machine based process. See also Brunel's mortise machine.

A view of the Powermatic LBM21 Line Boring Machine, 2.5HP, 1PH, 230V from Rockler

In terms of standard off the shelf machines for multiple boring the one above is a typical example. It can be set up to drill up to 21 holes simultaneously at a touch of the foot pedal. Interesting is the fact that 11 right hand and 10 left hand spindles rotate in opposite directions to reduce torque against workpiece.

Footnote: Mathew Boulton and his Soho Foundry and Soho Mint predated Portsmouth's block making efforts by a few years but they were on nothing like the same scale. In the US the Springfield Armory also advanced mass production techniques due to the pressure of the US civil war. The Ford motor company brought in the first moving production line as we know them today.

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