Can You Crack It? The Overlooked Dutch Invention Which Forged our Modern World
There are many candidates for the designation as “world’s most significant invention.” The wheel. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a new book, though, that honor should go to a automated sawmill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Before automated sawing, building a modest trading ship required around 10 sawyers laboring over three months,” notes the author. “Using wind-driven lumber mills, an identical amount of processed timber might be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to their rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber to boards with almost no human effort, Dutch builders could build ships more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that unleashed a century of Netherlands maritime, economic as well as artistic dominance across the continent and the globe.
The Original Genuine Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, was “humanity’s first true industrial machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. One component transformed the rotary movement to vertical motion to power the cutting blade. Another component changed that same rotary movement into a lateral movement advancing the log toward the blade. A ratchet system moved the log forward a measured step per cycle.
“Every component was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius lay in how to integrate these parts so they acted within a perfectly controlled sequence, cutting with each downward motion and moving on every return motion. This constituted a remarkably clever application of basic components.”
Which leads us up to today’s challenge. I’d like for you to reimagine a key the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Design a mechanism which converts circular movement to up-and-down motion. Your available these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two rods. A “sleeve”, that is a tube or housing through which one of the rods will fit perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to mount components on a base, so that the components don’t fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK with the answer.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (non obvious) candidates for the world’s most impactful creation.
