Can You Crack It? That Forgotten Dutch Creation Which Forged our Contemporary World
One can find many contenders for the designation as “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The movable type. The combustion motor.
As per a new book, however, that title should go to the mechanised timber mill invented through Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.
“Before mechanised sawing, constructing a modest trading ship necessitated around ten lumberjacks laboring over 90 days,” notes the author. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of cut lumber could be manufactured in less than seven days.”
Thanks to their rapid mechanical saw, which turned timber into boards using virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to build ships more quickly than anyone else, which sparked a century of Netherlands maritime, economic as well as artistic dominance in the continent and the globe.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Device
The inventor's lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “mankind’s first authentic industrial machine.” A wind turbine rotated a wheel. A single part transformed the circular movement into up-and-down action for the cutting blade. A separate mechanism transformed that same spinning movement into a sideway’s movement advancing the log to the blade. A ratchet system moved the wood ahead one precise increment per stroke.
“Every component was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius lay in how to integrate them so the machine acted within a perfectly controlled order, cutting on every descending motion and advancing on every return stroke. It was an astonishingly intelligent use of basic components.”
Which leads us to today’s puzzle. I’d like for you to reinvent a key the fundamental concepts underpinning this historic machine.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a mechanism which converts rotary movement to vertical action. You have these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two bars. A “guide”, that is a cylinder or housing through which a single the bars can slide perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a base, so the components don’t collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK time featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) candidates as the world’s greatest invention.
