Can You Solve This? The Forgotten Dutch Invention That Forged our Modern Globe
There are many candidates for the designation as “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.
As per a new book, though, that title belongs to the automated timber mill invented through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to automated sawing, building a simple trading ship required around ten sawyers laboring for three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of processed timber could be produced within seven days.”
Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, that converted timber to planks with virtually no manual labor, the Dutch could build vessels more quickly compared to any other nation, an advantage that sparked one hundred years of Netherlands maritime, financial and cultural dominance across Europe and the world.
The First True Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends the writer, represented “humanity’s initial true industrial machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part converted its circular motion into up-and-down motion for the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the spinning movement into a lateral movement feeding the log to the blade. A ratchet system moved the wood ahead a measured step per cycle.
“Every component seemed modest by itself. The Dutchman’s genius lay in how to integrate them in order that the machine acted within a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing with each descending motion and advancing on every upward stroke. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental parts.”
Which leads us up to today’s puzzle. I’d like for you to reimagine one of the basic concepts behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a mechanism which converts rotary motion into vertical motion. You have these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a tube or housing through which a single the rods can slide snugly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a base, so that the components do not collapse.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK with the solution.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) candidates for the planet’s most impactful creation.
