Can You Solve It? The Forgotten Netherlands Invention That Shaped the Modern Globe
There are many contenders to claim the title of “planet’s greatest invention.” The wheel. The movable type. The steam engine.
As per a recent publication, though, that title should go to the automated sawmill invented by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Before automated cutting, building a modest merchant vessel required approximately ten lumberjacks working over 90 days,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered sawmills, the same amount of processed timber might be produced in less than seven days.”
Owing to their rapid mechanical cutter, that turned logs to boards with almost no human effort, the Dutch could construct ships more quickly than anyone else, which unleashed a century of Dutch maritime, economic as well as cultural supremacy in the continent and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends the writer, represented “humanity’s initial authentic industrial machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part transformed its circular movement to up-and-down motion to power the saw. Another component changed that same spinning movement into a sideway’s movement advancing the log to the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the log forward one precise increment each cycle.
“Each element seemed simple by itself. Corneliszoon’s genius was to combine them in order that they operated within a precisely synchronized order, cutting on every downward motion while advancing on every upward stroke. It was a remarkably intelligent use of basic components.”
A fact that leads us up to the current puzzle. The task is you to reimagine a key the fundamental ideas behind this historic invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine which converts circular motion into vertical action. Your available these items exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which one of the bars can slide perfectly. (Assume it is possible to put things on a base, so that the components don’t collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK with the answer.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) contenders as the planet’s greatest creation.
