Are You Able to Crack It? That Forgotten Dutch Invention Which Shaped the Contemporary World
One can find numerous contenders to claim the designation as “planet’s greatest invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.
As per a new book, though, that title belongs to a automated timber mill invented through Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, building a simple merchant vessel required approximately ten lumberjacks working for three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-powered lumber mills, the same quantity of processed timber might be produced within seven days.”
Owing to this speedy mechanical saw, that converted timber into boards using virtually no human effort, the Dutch could construct vessels more quickly compared to anyone else, an advantage that unleashed a century of Dutch maritime, financial as well as cultural dominance in the continent and the globe.
The Original Genuine Industrial Device
Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “mankind’s first authentic industrial machine.” A windmill turned a wheel. A single part converted its circular motion to vertical action to power the saw. A separate mechanism transformed that same spinning movement into a lateral movement advancing the log toward the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the log forward a measured step each stroke.
“Every component seemed simple on its own. Corneliszoon’s genius was to integrate them in order that the machine acted in a precisely synchronized sequence, cutting on every downward stroke while moving on every return stroke. It was an astonishingly clever use of basic components.”
Which leads us to the current challenge. The task is you to reinvent a key the basic concepts behind Corneliszoon’s machine.
Circular to Vertical
Design a mechanism which converts rotary movement to vertical motion. You have these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two bars. A “guide”, that is a tube or sleeve through which a single the bars will fit snugly. (Assume it is possible to mount components on a base, so the components don’t fall down.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK time with the solution.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) candidates as the planet’s greatest invention.
