Are You Able to Solve It? That Forgotten Netherlands Invention That Forged our Modern World
There are many contenders to claim the title of “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.
According to a new book, though, that title belongs to a automated timber mill invented by Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.
“Prior to mechanised sawing, constructing a simple trading ship required approximately ten sawyers working for 90 days,” notes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-driven lumber mills, an identical quantity of processed timber could be manufactured in less than a week.”
Owing to this rapid mechanical saw, which converted logs to planks with virtually no manual labor, the Dutch were able to build ships more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked a century of Dutch naval, economic as well as artistic dominance in the continent and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
The inventor's sawmill, contends the writer, was “humanity’s initial true factory machine.” A windmill turned a gear. A single part transformed its rotary movement to vertical action to power the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the spinning motion into a sideway’s movement feeding the timber toward the cutter. A geared mechanism shifted the wood forward a measured step per cycle.
“Each element was simple by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine them in order that they operated in a perfectly controlled order, sawing on every descending motion while moving on every return stroke. It was a remarkably intelligent use of basic parts.”
A fact that brings us to today’s challenge. The task is for you to reimagine a key the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s machine.
Round and Up
Construct a mechanism which converts rotary movement into up-and-down action. Your available these components only: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a tube or sleeve into which a single the rods can slide perfectly. (Assume you can put things on a stand, so the components do not collapse.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK with the solution.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, feel free to suggest (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s most impactful creation.
