Can You Crack This? That Forgotten Dutch Creation That Shaped our Modern World
One can find numerous contenders to claim the title of “world’s greatest invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a recent publication, though, that title should go to the automated timber mill invented through Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.
“Before mechanised sawing, constructing a simple trading ship necessitated approximately 10 sawyers laboring for three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of cut lumber could be manufactured in less than seven days.”
Owing to this rapid automated saw, which converted timber into planks with almost no manual labor, Dutch builders could build vessels more quickly compared to any other nation, which unleashed one hundred years of Netherlands maritime, economic and cultural supremacy in Europe and the world.
The First True Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s sawmill, argues the writer, was “humanity’s initial true industrial machine.” A windmill turned a wheel. A single part transformed its circular motion into vertical action for the saw. A separate mechanism transformed that same spinning motion into a sideway’s motion advancing the timber to the blade. A geared mechanism moved the log forward a measured step per stroke.
“Every component was modest by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to integrate these parts so the machine acted within a perfectly controlled order, cutting with each downward motion while advancing with each return stroke. This constituted an astonishingly intelligent use of basic components.”
A fact that brings us up to today’s puzzle. I’d like for you to reimagine one of the fundamental concepts underpinning this historic invention.
Circular to Vertical
Design a machine that turns circular movement into vertical motion. You have these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two bars. A “sleeve”, that is a tube or sleeve into which one of the rods can slide snugly. (Consider that you can mount components on a stand, so the components do not collapse.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK with the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Rather, feel free to suggest (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s greatest invention.
