Are You Able to Solve It? The Forgotten Dutch Invention That Shaped the Contemporary Globe
There are numerous contenders to claim the designation as “planet’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The combustion motor.
As per a recent publication, however, that title belongs to the automated timber mill invented through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Before automated cutting, building a simple trading ship necessitated around 10 sawyers laboring over 90 days,” notes the author. “Using wind-driven sawmills, an identical amount of processed timber might be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber into planks using almost no human effort, the Dutch were able to construct vessels more quickly than anyone else, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Dutch naval, financial and cultural supremacy in the continent and the world.
The Original True Manufacturing Machine
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends the writer, was “mankind’s initial authentic industrial machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. A single part converted its circular motion to up-and-down action for the saw. Another component transformed that same spinning motion into a lateral motion advancing the log to the cutter. A ratchet system moved the log ahead a measured step per stroke.
“Every component seemed modest by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to integrate them in order that they acted within a precisely synchronized sequence, cutting on every descending stroke and moving on every return motion. It was a remarkably intelligent application of fundamental parts.”
Which leads us up to today’s puzzle. The task is for you to reimagine one of the basic concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a mechanism that turns circular motion to vertical action. Your available these components only: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a tube or housing through which a single the rods can slide perfectly. (Consider that you can put things on a base, so that the components don’t fall down.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK with the solution.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please propose (non obvious) contenders as the planet’s greatest invention.
