Are You Able to Solve It? That Forgotten Netherlands Creation Which Shaped our Contemporary World
There are numerous contenders for the title of “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
As per a recent publication, though, that title belongs to a automated sawmill invented through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Before mechanised cutting, constructing a modest merchant vessel required approximately 10 sawyers working over three months,” notes the author. “With wind-powered sawmills, the same quantity of cut lumber could be produced within a week.”
Thanks to this speedy automated cutter, which converted logs to boards using virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to construct ships more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Netherlands naval, financial and cultural dominance in Europe and the world.
The Original True Manufacturing Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, was “mankind’s initial true factory apparatus.” A wind turbine turned a gear. One component converted its circular movement into vertical motion to power the saw. Another component transformed the rotary motion into a sideway’s movement feeding the log to the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the wood forward one precise increment per stroke.
“Every component seemed simple by itself. Corneliszoon’s genius lay in how to combine them so they acted within a perfectly controlled sequence, sawing on every downward motion and advancing on every return stroke. This constituted a remarkably clever application of fundamental parts.”
Which leads us to today’s puzzle. I’d like for you to reimagine one of the basic concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s machine.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism that turns circular motion into vertical action. Your available these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or sleeve through which a single the rods will fit perfectly. (Consider that you can put things on a stand, so the parts do not fall down.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) candidates for the world’s greatest creation.
