Are You Able to Crack This? That Forgotten Dutch Creation Which Forged our Modern World
There are numerous contenders to claim the title of “world’s greatest invention.” The wheel. The movable type. The combustion motor.
According to a recent publication, though, that honor should go to a mechanised sawmill conceived through Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, constructing a modest merchant vessel required approximately ten lumberjacks working over 90 days,” notes the author. “With wind-powered sawmills, an identical amount of processed timber could be produced within seven days.”
Thanks to their rapid mechanical saw, that converted timber into planks using virtually no manual labor, the Dutch were able to build ships more quickly compared to any other nation, an advantage that sparked a century of Netherlands naval, economic and artistic supremacy across Europe and the world.
The Original True Manufacturing Device
The inventor's lumber mill, argues Dávila, represented “mankind’s initial authentic industrial machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part transformed the circular movement to up-and-down motion to power the saw. Another component transformed that same rotary motion into a lateral motion feeding the log toward the cutter. A ratchet system moved the wood ahead a measured step each cycle.
“Every component seemed simple by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine them so they operated within a precisely synchronized sequence, cutting on every downward motion while moving on every return motion. It was a remarkably intelligent application of fundamental parts.”
Which leads us up to the current challenge. The task is for you to reinvent one of the fundamental ideas behind Corneliszoon’s machine.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a mechanism that turns rotary movement into vertical motion. Your available these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two bars. A “sleeve”, which is a tube or housing into which a single the rods will fit perfectly. (Assume you can put things on a stand, so the components do not collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK featuring the solution.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please propose (less celebrated) contenders for the planet’s most impactful invention.
