Can You Solve It? That Overlooked Netherlands Invention Which Shaped our Contemporary World
There are many contenders for the designation as “world’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
As per a recent publication, however, that honor should go to a mechanised sawmill conceived through Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.
“Before mechanised sawing, constructing a modest merchant vessel necessitated around 10 lumberjacks working for 90 days,” notes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same amount of processed timber could be manufactured within a week.”
Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, which converted logs to boards using virtually no manual labor, the Dutch were able to construct vessels more quickly than anyone else, which unleashed a century of Netherlands naval, financial as well as cultural supremacy in the continent and the world.
The Original True Manufacturing Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends the writer, represented “humanity’s initial authentic factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a wheel. One component converted the rotary movement to vertical action for the saw. Another component changed that same rotary movement into a lateral movement feeding the timber to the cutter. A geared mechanism moved the wood forward a measured step per cycle.
“Every component seemed simple by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance was to combine these parts in order that the machine operated in a perfectly controlled order, sawing with each descending stroke while moving with each upward motion. This constituted a remarkably clever use of basic parts.”
Which leads us to today’s challenge. I’d like for you to reinvent a key the basic concepts underpinning this historic invention.
Circular to Vertical
Design a machine which converts circular movement to vertical action. You have these items only: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two bars. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or housing into which one of the rods can slide perfectly. (Assume you can put things on a base, so that the components do not fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK time featuring the solution.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please propose (less celebrated) contenders for the planet’s greatest invention.
