Are You Able to Crack It? The Overlooked Netherlands Creation Which Shaped the Modern World
There are numerous contenders to claim the title of “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.
According to a recent publication, however, that title should go to a automated sawmill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to mechanised sawing, building a simple trading ship required around ten lumberjacks working for three months,” notes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of cut lumber might be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to this speedy mechanical saw, which turned logs into planks using almost no manual labor, Dutch builders could construct ships more quickly than any other nation, an advantage that unleashed a century of Dutch naval, economic and artistic supremacy in Europe and the globe.
The Original True Industrial Machine
The inventor's lumber mill, argues Dávila, represented “mankind’s initial true factory apparatus.” A windmill rotated a gear. A single part transformed the circular movement to vertical action to power the saw. Another component transformed that same rotary motion into a lateral movement feeding the timber to the blade. A ratchet system moved the wood forward one precise increment each stroke.
“Each element seemed simple by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance was to integrate these parts in order that they acted within a precisely synchronized order, sawing on every downward stroke while advancing on every upward motion. This constituted a remarkably clever use of fundamental components.”
Which leads us to today’s puzzle. The task is you to reimagine a key the fundamental ideas behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Design a mechanism that turns circular motion to up-and-down action. Your available these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a cylinder or housing through which one of the rods will fit snugly. (Consider that you can mount components on a stand, so that the components do not fall down.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK time with the solution.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please propose (less celebrated) candidates for the planet’s greatest invention.
