Are You Able to Solve This? The Overlooked Netherlands Invention Which Forged our Contemporary Globe
There are many contenders to claim the designation as “planet’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
As per a new book, though, that title should go to a automated timber mill conceived by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593.
“Prior to mechanised cutting, building a simple trading ship required approximately ten lumberjacks laboring over three months,” notes the author. “With wind-driven sawmills, the same quantity of processed timber could be produced in less than a week.”
Thanks to this speedy mechanical saw, which converted timber into boards using almost no manual labor, Dutch builders were able to build vessels faster compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked one hundred years of Dutch maritime, financial and artistic dominance in the continent and the world.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Machine
The inventor's sawmill, argues Dávila, was “mankind’s initial authentic factory apparatus.” A wind turbine rotated a wheel. One component transformed the rotary motion to up-and-down motion for the cutting blade. Another component changed that same spinning motion into a sideway’s movement advancing the log toward the blade. A geared mechanism shifted the wood ahead one precise increment per stroke.
“Each element seemed modest on its own. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine these parts so they acted in a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing on every descending motion and moving with each upward motion. It was a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental components.”
Which leads us to the current puzzle. The task is for you to reinvent one of the basic concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Design a machine that turns circular movement into vertical action. You have these items exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a tube or housing through which a single the rods can slide snugly. (Consider that you can put things on a stand, so that the parts do not fall down.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK time featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Rather, please suggest (non obvious) contenders as the world’s most impactful invention.
