Are You Able to Solve It? That Overlooked Dutch Invention Which Shaped the Contemporary Globe
There are many contenders to claim the designation as “planet’s greatest invention.” The wheel. The movable type. The combustion motor.
According to a recent publication, however, that title should go to the mechanised sawmill invented through Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Prior to automated sawing, constructing a modest merchant vessel required approximately ten lumberjacks working over 90 days,” writes the author. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same quantity of processed timber could be produced within seven days.”
Owing to this rapid automated saw, which turned timber into boards with virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to build ships more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked a century of Dutch maritime, financial and artistic supremacy in the continent and the world.
The Original True Industrial Machine
The inventor's lumber mill, argues the writer, was “humanity’s initial authentic factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part transformed the rotary motion to vertical action to power the cutting blade. Another component changed the spinning movement into a sideway’s motion feeding the log to the cutter. A geared mechanism shifted the log forward one precise increment each cycle.
“Each element seemed simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine them so the machine acted within a perfectly controlled order, cutting with each downward motion while moving with each upward motion. It was a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental components.”
Which brings us to the current challenge. I’d like you to reimagine a key the fundamental concepts behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism that turns rotary motion to vertical action. You have these items only: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or sleeve through which one of the bars can slide snugly. (Consider that you can put things on a base, so the components do not fall down.)
The solution returns later today UK time featuring the solution.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please propose (less celebrated) candidates for the world’s most impactful creation.