Are You Able to Crack This? The Overlooked Netherlands Invention That Shaped the Contemporary World
One can find many contenders for the designation as “planet’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
According to a recent publication, however, that honor belongs to the mechanised sawmill conceived by Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, building a modest trading ship necessitated approximately ten lumberjacks working over three months,” notes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-powered sawmills, the same amount of processed timber could be manufactured within seven days.”
Owing to their rapid mechanical saw, which turned logs to boards using almost no human effort, Dutch builders could construct ships faster than anyone else, which unleashed one hundred years of Netherlands naval, economic and cultural supremacy in the continent and the world.
The Original True Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s sawmill, contends the writer, represented “humanity’s first authentic factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a gear. One component converted its rotary movement into vertical motion to power the saw. Another component transformed that same rotary motion into a sideway’s motion advancing the log toward the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the log ahead a measured step each cycle.
“Every component seemed modest on its own. Corneliszoon’s genius was to combine them so the machine acted in a perfectly controlled sequence, sawing with each descending motion while moving on every return motion. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of basic components.”
A fact that brings us to the current challenge. The task is for you to reimagine a key the basic ideas behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Round and Up
Design a machine that turns rotary movement into vertical motion. Your available these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a cylinder or sleeve through which a single the rods can slide perfectly. (Assume you can mount components on a stand, so that the components do not fall down.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK featuring the answer.
Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please propose (less celebrated) candidates as the planet’s most impactful creation.
