Can You Solve This? The Forgotten Netherlands Creation Which Shaped the Contemporary Globe
There are numerous contenders for the designation as “planet’s most significant invention.” The wheel. The movable type. The combustion motor.
As per a recent publication, however, that title should go to the mechanised sawmill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to automated sawing, constructing a modest trading ship necessitated around 10 sawyers working over 90 days,” notes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-driven sawmills, an identical amount of cut lumber could be manufactured within seven days.”
Thanks to their speedy mechanical saw, that turned logs into planks with almost no human effort, the Dutch could construct ships more quickly than any other nation, which unleashed a century of Netherlands maritime, financial and artistic dominance in the continent and the world.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “humanity’s initial authentic industrial apparatus.” A windmill rotated a gear. One component transformed its rotary movement to up-and-down motion to power the cutting blade. Another component changed the spinning movement into a lateral movement advancing the log toward the blade. A geared mechanism shifted the log forward one precise increment per cycle.
“Each element seemed simple by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine these parts in order that the machine operated in a perfectly controlled sequence, cutting on every downward stroke while advancing on every upward stroke. It was a remarkably clever use of fundamental parts.”
Which leads us to today’s challenge. The task is for you to reinvent a key the basic ideas behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism that turns circular movement to vertical motion. You have these components only: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a tube or sleeve into which a single the bars will fit perfectly. (Assume it is possible to mount components on a base, so that the components don’t collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK featuring the answer.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please propose (non obvious) candidates as the planet’s most impactful invention.
