Are You Able to Crack This? That Forgotten Netherlands Invention That Shaped the Contemporary World
One can find numerous candidates for the title of “world’s greatest invention.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.
As per a recent publication, though, that title should go to a automated timber mill invented by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest during 1593.
“Before mechanised cutting, constructing a simple trading ship necessitated approximately ten lumberjacks working over 90 days,” notes the author. “With wind-driven lumber mills, the same amount of cut lumber could be produced in less than seven days.”
Thanks to this speedy mechanical saw, that converted timber into planks with virtually no manual labor, Dutch builders were able to construct ships faster than any other nation, an advantage that sparked one hundred years of Netherlands naval, economic and cultural supremacy across the continent and the world.
The First True Industrial Device
The inventor's lumber mill, argues Dávila, represented “mankind’s first true factory machine.” A wind turbine turned a wheel. One component converted the circular movement to vertical action for the saw. Another component changed that same rotary movement into a lateral movement advancing the timber to the blade. A ratchet system moved the wood ahead a measured step per stroke.
“Every component was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine these parts in order that the machine acted within a precisely synchronized order, sawing with each downward motion while moving on every upward motion. This constituted an astonishingly intelligent use of fundamental components.”
A fact that brings us to today’s challenge. I’d like for you to reimagine a key the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s machine.
Circular to Vertical
Construct a machine which converts rotary motion into vertical motion. Your available these items only: A spinning wheel. Two pegs. Two bars. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or sleeve into which one of the bars can slide snugly. (Consider that you can put things on a stand, so the components don’t fall down.)
I’ll be back later today UK with the answer.
Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, feel free to suggest (non obvious) candidates for the planet’s greatest invention.
