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There are numerous contenders for the designation as “world’s most significant invention.” The circular axle. The printing press. The combustion motor.

As per a new book, however, that title should go to the mechanised timber mill conceived through Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon during 1593.

“Prior to mechanised cutting, building a modest trading ship necessitated approximately 10 sawyers working over 90 days,” notes the author. “Using wind-driven sawmills, the same quantity of processed timber might be manufactured within a week.”

Thanks to this speedy mechanical saw, which turned timber into boards with almost no human effort, the Dutch could build vessels faster than any other nation, an advantage that sparked a century of Dutch naval, financial as well as artistic supremacy in the continent and the world.

The Original Genuine Industrial Device

Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues Dávila, represented “humanity’s initial true industrial apparatus.” A windmill rotated a wheel. One component converted the circular movement into up-and-down motion to power the saw. Another component transformed the spinning motion into a lateral movement feeding the log toward the cutter. A ratchet system shifted the wood forward a measured step each stroke.

“Each element was simple on its own. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine them so the machine operated within a perfectly controlled order, cutting with each descending stroke and advancing on every upward motion. It was a remarkably clever use of fundamental components.”

Which brings us to the current puzzle. I’d like for you to reimagine a key the fundamental ideas underpinning Corneliszoon’s invention.

Round and Up

Construct a machine which converts circular movement into vertical motion. You have these components exclusively: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two rods. A “guide”, which is a tube or sleeve into which a single the bars will fit perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to put things on a stand, so that the components don’t fall down.)

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

Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please suggest (non obvious) contenders for the world’s greatest creation.