Can You Solve It? The Forgotten Netherlands Creation That Forged the Contemporary World
There are numerous candidates to claim the title of “planet’s greatest innovation.” The wheel. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a recent publication, however, that title belongs to a mechanised timber mill invented through Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Before mechanised cutting, constructing a simple trading ship required approximately 10 lumberjacks working over three months,” writes the author. “With wind-driven lumber mills, the same quantity of processed timber might be produced within seven days.”
Thanks to this rapid automated saw, that turned timber to boards using almost no human effort, the Dutch could build vessels more quickly compared to any other nation, which sparked a century of Dutch naval, economic as well as cultural supremacy in the continent and the world.
The First Genuine Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues Dávila, was “mankind’s first true industrial apparatus.” A windmill turned a gear. One component transformed its rotary motion into vertical motion to power the cutting blade. A separate mechanism transformed that same rotary motion into a sideway’s movement advancing the log to the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the log forward one precise increment per cycle.
“Each element was modest on its own. The Dutchman’s genius was to integrate these parts so the machine operated in a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing on every descending stroke while advancing with each return motion. It was a remarkably intelligent application of basic parts.”
Which brings us to today’s challenge. The task is for you to reimagine a key the basic ideas behind this historic invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine that turns circular movement to vertical action. Your available these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, that is a tube or housing into which one of the bars will fit snugly. (Consider that it is possible to mount components on a stand, so that the parts don’t collapse.)
I’ll be back later today UK with the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Rather, feel free to propose (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s most impactful creation.