Are You Able to Solve It? That Overlooked Dutch Invention That Shaped the Contemporary World
There are numerous candidates to claim the designation as “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The combustion motor.
As per a recent publication, however, that honor belongs to a mechanised timber mill conceived through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Before mechanised cutting, building a modest merchant vessel necessitated around 10 lumberjacks working for three months,” notes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-powered sawmills, an identical amount of cut lumber could be produced within a week.”
Thanks to this rapid mechanical saw, which turned logs to planks with virtually no human effort, the Dutch were able to build ships more quickly compared to anyone else, which sparked a century of Netherlands naval, economic and cultural dominance in the continent and the world.
The Original True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s sawmill, argues Dávila, was “humanity’s initial true factory machine.” A windmill turned a gear. A single part converted the circular motion into up-and-down motion for the cutting blade. A separate mechanism changed the spinning motion into a lateral movement advancing the log to the blade. A ratchet system shifted the log forward one precise increment each stroke.
“Each element seemed simple on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance was to integrate these parts in order that they operated in a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing with each descending stroke and moving on every return motion. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of basic parts.”
A fact that brings us up to today’s puzzle. The task is for you to reinvent one of the basic ideas behind Corneliszoon’s machine.
Round and Up
Construct a machine that turns rotary movement into vertical motion. Your available these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which a single the rods can slide snugly. (Assume you can mount components on a stand, so the parts don’t collapse.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK featuring the solution.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Instead, please suggest (non obvious) contenders for the world’s greatest invention.
