Are You Able to Solve It? That Forgotten Dutch Creation Which Forged the Contemporary Globe
One can find numerous contenders for the designation as “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.
As per a recent publication, though, that honor should go to a mechanised sawmill invented through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to mechanised cutting, building a simple trading ship necessitated around 10 sawyers working over three months,” writes the author. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, an identical quantity of cut lumber might be manufactured in less than a week.”
Owing to this rapid mechanical cutter, which converted timber to planks using almost no human effort, Dutch builders could construct ships faster than anyone else, an advantage that sparked a century of Netherlands naval, economic and cultural supremacy across the continent and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “mankind’s first authentic factory apparatus.” A windmill turned a wheel. One component transformed the circular motion into vertical motion to power the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the spinning movement into a lateral movement feeding the log toward the blade. A ratchet system shifted the log forward a measured step per stroke.
“Every component seemed simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius was to integrate them so the machine acted in a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing on every descending motion and moving with each upward stroke. This constituted an astonishingly intelligent application of fundamental parts.”
Which brings us to the current puzzle. I’d like you to reinvent one of the fundamental concepts behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism which converts circular motion into vertical motion. Your available these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two bars. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or housing through which one of the rods will fit perfectly. (Consider that you can put things on a base, so that the parts do not fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK time with the answer.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Instead, feel free to suggest (less celebrated) contenders for the world’s most impactful creation.
