Can You Crack It? That Overlooked Netherlands Invention That Shaped the Contemporary World

There are many contenders for the title of “planet’s greatest invention.” The circular axle. The movable type. The steam engine.

According to a new book, however, that title should go to a mechanised timber mill conceived by Dutch inventor Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593.

“Prior to mechanised sawing, constructing a modest merchant vessel required around ten sawyers working over three months,” notes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-driven sawmills, the same amount of processed timber might be produced in less than seven days.”

Thanks to this rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber into boards using virtually no human effort, Dutch builders were able to build ships faster compared to anyone else, an advantage that sparked one hundred years of Dutch maritime, financial and cultural dominance across Europe and the globe.

The First Genuine Manufacturing Device

Corneliszoon’s sawmill, contends the writer, was “mankind’s first authentic industrial machine.” A windmill rotated a wheel. A single part converted the circular movement to up-and-down action for the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the rotary motion into a lateral motion feeding the log toward the blade. A ratchet system moved the wood forward a measured step per stroke.

“Every component was simple on its own. Corneliszoon’s genius was to integrate these parts in order that the machine acted within a perfectly controlled order, sawing on every descending stroke while moving on every return stroke. This constituted an astonishingly clever use of fundamental components.”

Which brings us up to the current puzzle. The task is for you to reinvent one of the fundamental concepts behind this historic invention.

Circular to Vertical

Design a mechanism which converts circular movement into up-and-down motion. You have these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two bars. A “guide”, that is a tube or housing into which a single the rods will fit snugly. (Assume it is possible to put things on a stand, so that the parts don’t fall down.)

I’ll be back later today UK featuring the answer.

Meanwhile, PLEASE NO HINTS. Rather, please suggest (non obvious) candidates as the planet’s most impactful invention.