Can You Solve This? That Forgotten Dutch Invention That Shaped the Contemporary Globe
One can find many contenders to claim the title of “world’s most significant innovation.” The wheel. The printing press. The steam engine.
As per a new book, though, that honor belongs to a automated sawmill invented by Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.
“Before mechanised sawing, constructing a modest trading ship necessitated approximately ten lumberjacks working over three months,” notes the author. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of processed timber could be produced in less than a week.”
Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber to boards with virtually no manual labor, Dutch builders were able to build vessels more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Netherlands maritime, economic and cultural dominance in the continent and the world.
The Original True Industrial Device
The inventor's sawmill, contends the writer, was “mankind’s first true industrial machine.” A windmill rotated a gear. One component converted its rotary motion to up-and-down action for the cutting blade. Another component transformed the rotary motion into a sideway’s movement feeding the timber to the blade. A geared mechanism moved the log forward one precise increment each stroke.
“Every component was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius was to integrate them so the machine operated within a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing with each descending stroke while moving on every upward stroke. It was an astonishingly intelligent use of fundamental components.”
A fact that leads us up to the current puzzle. The task is for you to reimagine a key the fundamental ideas behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine that turns rotary movement to vertical action. You have these components only: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a cylinder or sleeve into which a single the bars will fit snugly. (Assume you can mount components on a stand, so the parts don’t fall down.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK time featuring the solution.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, feel free to suggest (less celebrated) candidates for the planet’s greatest creation.
