Are You Able to Crack It? The Forgotten Netherlands Invention Which Forged the Contemporary Globe
There are numerous contenders for the designation as “planet’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a new book, however, that honor belongs to the mechanised timber mill conceived by Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.
“Before automated cutting, constructing a simple trading ship necessitated around 10 sawyers working over 90 days,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, an identical quantity of processed timber could be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to this speedy mechanical cutter, which turned logs to planks with almost no human effort, Dutch builders could build ships faster than any other nation, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Dutch maritime, financial and artistic supremacy in the continent and the world.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Device
The inventor's lumber mill, contends Dávila, was “mankind’s initial authentic factory machine.” A wind turbine rotated a gear. One component transformed its circular motion to vertical action to power the cutting blade. Another component changed that same rotary movement into a lateral motion advancing the timber toward the cutter. A ratchet system moved the log forward one precise increment each stroke.
“Each element was modest on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine them in order that the machine operated in a precisely synchronized order, cutting on every descending stroke and moving with each upward stroke. This constituted a remarkably clever use of fundamental components.”
A fact that brings us up to the current puzzle. The task is for you to reimagine a key the fundamental concepts behind Corneliszoon’s invention.
Circular to Vertical
Design a machine which converts circular movement to up-and-down action. Your available these components only: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or sleeve through which one of the rods can slide perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a stand, so the parts do not collapse.)
I’ll be back at 5pm UK time with the answer.
In the interim, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, feel free to propose (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s greatest creation.
