Are You Able to Solve It? That Overlooked Dutch Creation Which Forged our Modern World
There are numerous contenders for the title of “world’s greatest innovation.” The wheel. The printing press. The steam engine.
As per a new book, however, that title belongs to a automated timber mill invented by Dutch inventor Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Prior to mechanised sawing, constructing a simple trading ship necessitated around 10 sawyers working for three months,” notes the author. “With wind-driven lumber mills, an identical quantity of cut lumber might be produced within seven days.”
Owing to their speedy mechanical cutter, that turned logs to boards using virtually no manual labor, the Dutch were able to construct vessels more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked a century of Netherlands maritime, financial and artistic supremacy across the continent and the globe.
The Original Genuine Industrial Machine
Corneliszoon’s sawmill, argues the writer, was “mankind’s first authentic industrial apparatus.” A wind turbine turned a gear. One component converted the rotary movement into up-and-down motion for the saw. A separate mechanism changed the spinning movement into a lateral movement advancing the timber to the blade. A geared mechanism moved the wood forward one precise increment each stroke.
“Every component seemed simple on its own. Corneliszoon’s genius was to integrate them so the machine acted within a precisely synchronized order, sawing with each downward stroke while advancing on every return stroke. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental components.”
Which brings us up to the current challenge. The task is for you to reimagine one of the basic concepts behind this historic machine.
Circular to Vertical
Design a mechanism that turns circular motion to vertical action. Your available these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two bars. A “guide”, that is a cylinder or sleeve through which one of the rods can slide snugly. (Assume you can put things on a stand, so the parts don’t fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK time featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (non obvious) candidates for the world’s greatest invention.
