🔗 Share this article Can You Crack It? That Overlooked Netherlands Creation That Shaped our Contemporary World There are many contenders for the designation as “world’s greatest innovation.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor. As per a new book, however, that honor should go to the mechanised sawmill invented by Dutchman Corneliszoon van Uitgeest in 1593. “Before automated cutting, building a simple trading ship necessitated approximately 10 sawyers working for three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “With wind-driven sawmills, an identical amount of cut lumber might be produced in less than seven days.” Owing to this speedy mechanical saw, which converted timber to boards with virtually no human effort, the Dutch were able to construct ships faster than any other nation, which unleashed a century of Netherlands naval, financial as well as cultural dominance across Europe and the world. The First True Manufacturing Machine The inventor's lumber mill, contends the writer, represented “humanity’s initial true factory apparatus.” A windmill rotated a wheel. One component transformed the circular motion into vertical motion to power the saw. A separate mechanism changed that same spinning movement into a sideway’s motion feeding the log toward the blade. A geared mechanism shifted the wood forward a measured step each cycle. “Every component was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s genius lay in how to combine them in order that they operated within a precisely synchronized sequence, cutting on every downward motion while moving with each return stroke. It was a remarkably intelligent application of basic parts.” Which leads us to today’s puzzle. The task is for you to reinvent a key the basic ideas behind Corneliszoon’s machine. Circular to Vertical Design a machine which converts rotary motion to vertical motion. You have these components only: A rotating disc. Two pins. Two rods. A “sleeve”, which is a cylinder or housing into which a single the bars can slide perfectly. (Assume you can mount components on a stand, so that the parts do not fall down.) The solution returns at 5pm UK time with the solution. In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please propose (less celebrated) contenders for the world’s most impactful creation.