Are You Able to Crack It? The Overlooked Dutch Creation Which Forged the Modern Globe
There are many contenders for the designation as “planet’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.
According to a recent publication, though, that title should go to the mechanised sawmill invented through Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.
“Prior to automated cutting, building a modest merchant vessel required approximately 10 sawyers working for three months,” writes the author. “With wind-driven sawmills, an identical amount of cut lumber might be produced within seven days.”
Thanks to this speedy mechanical cutter, which turned logs into planks using virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to build ships faster than any other nation, an advantage that sparked a century of Dutch naval, financial as well as artistic dominance in Europe and the globe.
The Original Genuine Manufacturing Machine
The inventor's lumber mill, argues Dávila, represented “humanity’s initial true industrial apparatus.” A windmill turned a wheel. A single part converted the circular motion into vertical motion for the cutting blade. Another component transformed the rotary motion into a lateral movement feeding the timber to the cutter. A geared mechanism moved the log ahead a measured step per cycle.
“Each element seemed modest by itself. Corneliszoon’s genius lay in how to combine these parts in order that they acted within a precisely synchronized order, cutting on every descending stroke while moving with each return stroke. This constituted a remarkably intelligent use of fundamental components.”
Which brings us up to today’s puzzle. The task is you to reinvent a key the basic ideas behind this historic machine.
Round and Up
Construct a machine which converts circular motion into vertical motion. You have these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. 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 stand, so that the parts don’t fall down.)
The solution returns at 5pm UK with the answer.
In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Rather, feel free to suggest (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s greatest invention.
