Can You Crack It? The Forgotten Dutch Creation Which Shaped the Contemporary World
One can find numerous contenders to claim the title of “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
According to a new book, however, that honor belongs to a automated sawmill conceived by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to mechanised cutting, constructing a simple merchant vessel necessitated approximately ten sawyers laboring for 90 days,” notes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-powered sawmills, the same amount of cut lumber could be produced within seven days.”
Owing to their rapid mechanical cutter, which converted logs into planks with almost no human effort, the Dutch could build vessels faster than any other nation, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Netherlands maritime, economic as well as cultural supremacy across Europe and the world.
The Original True Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, was “mankind’s first authentic factory machine.” A windmill rotated a wheel. One component transformed its circular movement into vertical motion for the cutting blade. Another component transformed the rotary movement into a sideway’s movement advancing the timber toward the blade. A geared mechanism shifted the wood forward a measured step per cycle.
“Every component seemed modest by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to integrate these parts so they acted in a perfectly controlled sequence, sawing on every descending motion and advancing on every return motion. It was an astonishingly clever application of fundamental components.”
Which brings us to today’s puzzle. I’d like for you to reinvent one of the fundamental ideas underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine that turns circular movement to up-and-down action. Your available these components only: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which one of the bars can slide perfectly. (Assume it is possible to mount components on a stand, so the parts do not collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK time with the answer.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, feel free to suggest (less celebrated) candidates for the planet’s most impactful creation.
