Are You Able to Solve This? The Forgotten Netherlands Creation Which Shaped our Modern World
One can find many contenders to claim the designation as “planet’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a new book, however, that title belongs to the automated sawmill invented through Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, constructing a modest trading ship required approximately 10 lumberjacks laboring over 90 days,” writes the author. “With wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of cut lumber could be produced in less than a week.”
Owing to their rapid automated saw, which converted timber to boards with almost no human effort, the Dutch could build ships faster than any other nation, which unleashed a century of Dutch maritime, economic and artistic dominance in Europe and the globe.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues Dávila, was “humanity’s first true factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a wheel. One component transformed its circular motion to vertical action for the saw. Another component changed that same spinning movement into a lateral movement feeding the log toward the cutter. A geared mechanism shifted the log ahead one precise increment per cycle.
“Each element was simple by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine these parts in order that they operated within a perfectly controlled sequence, sawing with each downward motion while moving with each upward motion. It was a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental parts.”
Which brings us up to today’s challenge. I’d like you to reimagine a key the basic concepts behind this historic machine.
Round and Up
Construct a machine which converts rotary movement to vertical action. Your available these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which one of the bars will fit snugly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a base, so that the parts don’t collapse.)
I’ll be back later today UK time featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please suggest (non obvious) candidates as the planet’s most impactful invention.
