Tradition and passion in the fourth generation - Rojek, classic woodworking machines

We love stories, even if the starting point is classic woodworking machines and not some Cosanzean. We want to find out how a brand was born, who first set out on this journey and what made them do it. Each milestone says something about the passion with which the machines were built and the continuity, the tradition. Some time ago I was talking about Altendorf, the inventor of the first moving table circular. This time we tell the story Rojek, a Czech manufacturer of classic woodworking machinery, now run by the fourth generation of Rojek. The story was told to us by Nika Machinery, representative Rojek in Romania.

Birth of a brand

The First World War made it possible for Josef Rojek with internal combustion engines. He developed a passion for them and learned to repair them, making it a profession after the war. He saved up some money with which he bought a piece of land from a countess in Častolovice, on which he built his house and a small workshop. Immediately after the war, a period of reconstruction began, and carpenters and small workshops had high demands, many of which they found difficult to meet. But things went slowly because there was no machinery to process the wood quickly. This led Josef to think of a machine that would make the work easier and speed things up.

It was 1921 when he conceived, designed and built the first woodworking machine - a universal joinery machine that cut, drilled and milled wood - which he named after himself, Rojek. A period of rapid development followed and soon machines under the Rojek brand went beyond the borders of the Czech Republic to northern European countries - Sweden, Finland, Norway - as well as to other continents (Australia, Canada). Even during the crisis and the Second World War, the company continued to develop and produce its machines, which were increasingly appreciated worldwide for their robustness and precision. At the end of the war, the Czech woodworking machinery company Rojek was producing table circular saws, vertical band saws, planing machines (abricht), roughing machines (coarse), drilling machines.

Unfortunately, the Czech Republic, like the rest of Eastern Europe, came under the domination of the Soviet Union and soon switched to a communist regime. Josef continued to produce machinery under a socialist form of organisation, Dřevostroj, which he founded and ran until his death in 1958. Soon afterwards it was nationalised and became part of Kovodružstvo Rychnov nad Kněžnou, which continued to manufacture and sell machinery under the Rojek brand until 1980.

1991 - another beginning

After Josef's death, none of the family members worked in the company he had founded and now owned by the state, but the desire to continue the tradition survived in the descendants. Soon after the fall of communism, Josef's grandson, Jiří Rojek, he began the process of recovering the factory founded by his grandfather. It was a difficult process, with many delays and intermediate stages, but in 1991 the cooperative founded by Josef was successfully separated from the one that incorporated it, and the Rojek company, founded in the meantime by Jiří Rojek, bought it. It was a purchase of the heart, to honour the memory of the grandfather. However, several technological improvements were needed to bring the company up to its current level of competitiveness.

The first car produced was a combined machine- KDR MSP 300 - with 300 mm table. The machine has been improved several times over the years and the 410 mm table version - MSP 410 - was also built. Then began the construction of other classic woodworking machines - moving table circulators, mortising machines and milling machines.

Jiří Rojek, together with his two sons, began a process of rebuilding and expanding the company internationally. Other production lines such as heating plants were added. Production increased with the entry into other markets and it was necessary to build another factory in Kostelec nad Orlicí. Rojek's woodworking machinery can be found in Europe as well as in the USA, Canada and Australia, and the company has a solid network of distributors.

Now, after the death of Jiří Rojek, the company is run by Evžen Rojek, the fourth generation Rojek.

Rojek machines on the Romanian market

The most popular machines produced by Rojek are:

• Circulars with table ROJEK PK 250 A / ROJEK PK 320 A / ROJEK PF 350 / ROJEK PF 400,
• Milling machines ROJEK FSN 300 A / ROJEK FSN 550 A,
• The roughing machine ROJEK RFT 630,
• Planing machines ROJEK RFS 410 / ROJEK RFS 510,
• Combined thickness straightening and planing machines ROJEK MSP 415 / ROJEK SP 410,
• Universal joinery machines ROJEK KPFN 300 A / ROJEK KPSN 300 A / ROJEK KPSN 400 A.

The machines are reliable and robust, which is why they are also appreciated by customers in Romania. They have been designed to simplify joinery production, so all configurations are complete and ready to use in the standard version (optional extras only enhance the machine). Rojek maintains the tradition of "lifetime" machines, many of the machines produced by Josef Rojek in the past are still in operation.

"Rojek machines are highly appreciated by our customers. They are like a good friend you can rely on every time. With their solid construction and wide range of products, Rojek machines meet all processing needs, making them ideal for both individual workshops and large factories. Their attractive pricing also allows them to be included in numerous European-funded projects, including StartUp Nation." - Cristian Brosiu, administrator Nika Utilaje

Future plans

The company's plans for the future look primarily to the near future, i.e. next year, when it celebrates 100 years since the first Rojek machine was manufactured, 100 years of tradition in the construction of woodworking machinery. They want to honour the event with a series of improved machines:

• A superior technical level of the professional circular saw with 3-axis control,
• An innovative way of changing drill bits in the chuck,
• Innovative support frames for table circulars

and many other improvements to existing machinery.

Future plans include developing the company in both directions - woodworking machinery and thermal power plants - and expanding the dealer network so that Rojek is a globally recognised brand. Bold plans backed by the determination of generations of enthusiasts and the 'legacy' of a resonant name in the wood industry.