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There are many candidates to claim the designation as “planet’s most significant innovation.” The wheel. The printing press. The combustion motor.

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

“Prior to automated cutting, building a modest trading ship necessitated around ten lumberjacks laboring for three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-powered lumber mills, the same quantity of processed timber could be manufactured in less than a week.”

Thanks to their rapid mechanical cutter, which turned timber to planks with almost no manual labor, Dutch builders were able to construct ships faster than any other nation, an advantage that unleashed one hundred years of Dutch naval, economic and cultural dominance across the continent and the globe.

The First True Manufacturing Device

Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, contends Dávila, was “humanity’s initial true factory machine.” A wind turbine rotated a gear. One component transformed its rotary movement to vertical motion to power the cutting blade. A separate mechanism transformed that same rotary motion into a sideway’s movement advancing the timber to the cutter. A geared mechanism shifted the log ahead a measured step each cycle.

“Every component was modest by itself. The Dutchman’s genius was to combine these parts so they operated in a precisely synchronized sequence, sawing with each downward stroke while moving with each upward motion. It was a remarkably clever use of fundamental components.”

Which leads us to the current challenge. The task is you to reinvent one of the fundamental concepts underpinning Corneliszoon’s machine.

Circular to Vertical

Design a mechanism that turns circular movement into vertical motion. Your available these components only: A rotating disc. Two pegs. Two rods. A “sleeve”, that is a tube or sleeve into which one of the rods will fit snugly. (Assume it is possible to mount components on a stand, so the components do not collapse.)

I’ll be back at 5pm UK time featuring the answer.

Meanwhile, NO SPOILERS. Rather, please suggest (less celebrated) candidates as the planet’s greatest creation.