Can You Solve It? The Overlooked Dutch Invention That Shaped our Modern Globe
There are many contenders for the title of “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.
As per a recent publication, however, that title should go to a mechanised timber mill invented by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Prior to mechanised sawing, constructing a modest trading ship necessitated around ten lumberjacks laboring for 90 days,” notes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, an identical quantity of cut lumber could be produced in less than seven days.”
Owing to this rapid mechanical cutter, which converted logs into boards with virtually no human effort, the Dutch could build ships faster than any other nation, an advantage that sparked one hundred years of Dutch maritime, financial as well as artistic dominance across the continent and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “mankind’s first authentic industrial apparatus.” A wind turbine rotated a gear. A single part converted the circular motion to vertical motion for the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the rotary motion into a lateral motion feeding the log to the cutter. A geared mechanism shifted the log forward a measured step per stroke.
“Each element seemed modest on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine them in order that the machine operated within a perfectly controlled order, cutting with each descending stroke and moving on every upward stroke. It was a remarkably clever use of fundamental components.”
Which brings us to today’s challenge. I’d like you to reimagine one of the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s machine.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine which converts circular motion into vertical action. You have these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which a single the bars will fit perfectly. (Assume you can mount components on a stand, so the parts do not fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK with the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please propose (less celebrated) contenders as the planet’s greatest creation.
