Are You Able to Solve This? The Forgotten Dutch Creation Which Shaped our Modern Globe

There are numerous candidates for the designation as “planet’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The steam engine.

As per a recent publication, however, that title belongs to the automated timber mill conceived by Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.

“Prior to automated sawing, constructing a simple trading ship necessitated approximately ten lumberjacks working for 90 days,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-driven sawmills, the same amount of cut lumber might be produced within seven days.”

Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber into planks with virtually no manual labor, Dutch builders were able to build ships faster compared to any other nation, an advantage that sparked a century of Netherlands naval, economic as well as artistic dominance across the continent and the world.

The First Genuine Manufacturing Device

Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends the writer, was “humanity’s initial authentic industrial apparatus.” A wind turbine rotated a wheel. One component transformed the circular motion to up-and-down motion for the cutting blade. Another component transformed that same rotary movement into a sideway’s motion advancing the log to the cutter. A geared mechanism moved the wood ahead a measured step per stroke.

“Each element was simple by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance was to integrate them in order that they acted within a perfectly controlled order, sawing with each downward motion while moving on every upward motion. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental components.”

Which brings us to the current challenge. I’d like you to reimagine one of the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.

Round and Up

Design a machine which converts rotary movement into up-and-down action. Your available these items exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, that is a tube or sleeve into which a single the bars will fit perfectly. (Consider that you can put things on a stand, so the parts do not fall down.)

I’ll be back later today UK time with the solution.

In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Rather, feel free to suggest (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s most impactful creation.