Are You Able to Solve It? That Overlooked Dutch Invention That Shaped our Contemporary Globe
One can find numerous candidates to claim the title of “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The combustion motor.
As per a recent publication, though, that title should go to a automated sawmill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Before mechanised cutting, constructing a modest merchant vessel necessitated around ten lumberjacks working for 90 days,” notes the author. “Using wind-powered sawmills, an identical quantity of processed timber could be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to their speedy automated cutter, which turned timber into boards with virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to construct ships faster than anyone else, an advantage that unleashed a century of Dutch naval, economic as well as cultural supremacy across the continent and the globe.
The First Genuine Industrial Device
The inventor's lumber mill, argues Dávila, was “mankind’s initial true factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part converted the rotary motion to vertical motion to power the saw. A separate mechanism changed the spinning motion into a sideway’s movement advancing the log toward the blade. A geared mechanism shifted the wood forward one precise increment each cycle.
“Each element was simple by itself. Corneliszoon’s genius was to combine these parts in order that they acted within a precisely synchronized order, sawing with each descending stroke while moving with each return stroke. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental parts.”
A fact that brings us to today’s puzzle. I’d like you to reinvent one of the fundamental ideas behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Design a machine that turns rotary motion to vertical motion. You have these items only: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a tube or housing through which a single the rods can slide perfectly. (Assume it is possible to mount components on a base, so the parts don’t fall down.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK with the answer.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please suggest (less celebrated) contenders for the planet’s most impactful creation.
