Are You Able to Crack This? That Forgotten Dutch Invention That Shaped the Modern World
One can find numerous contenders for the designation as “world’s greatest invention.” The wheel. The printing press. The steam engine.
According to a new book, though, that honor belongs to the automated sawmill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, building a simple trading ship required approximately 10 lumberjacks laboring over three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-driven lumber mills, the same amount of processed timber might be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to their rapid mechanical saw, that converted timber into boards using virtually no human effort, Dutch builders could build ships faster compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked a century of Dutch naval, financial and cultural dominance in Europe and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, was “mankind’s first true factory machine.” A windmill turned a gear. A single part transformed the circular movement to vertical action for the cutting blade. A separate mechanism transformed the rotary motion into a lateral movement advancing the timber to the cutter. A ratchet system moved the log ahead one precise increment each stroke.
“Each element was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance was to combine them in order that the machine acted within a perfectly controlled sequence, cutting with each downward motion while moving with each return stroke. It was a remarkably clever use of basic components.”
Which brings us to today’s challenge. The task is you to reimagine one of the fundamental concepts behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism that turns rotary motion to up-and-down action. Your available these items exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a cylinder or housing through which one of the bars can slide perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a stand, so that the parts do not fall down.)
The solution returns later today UK time featuring the solution.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Rather, feel free to suggest (less celebrated) candidates as the world’s most impactful invention.
