Hydraulic saw

During his first stay in Florence, Leonardo designed a hydraulic saw capable of reducing large tree trunks into planks. The machine was designed to work automatically in order to lighten the human workload and increase productivity.

At the base of the machine, in a channel through which water is made to run, we find a paddlewheel similar to one used in a mill. As this moves, it actuates a crankshaft system for transforming rotary motion into reciprocating motion, thus allowing the vertical toothed blade to slide up and down.

At the same time, a pawl mechanism, using movements synchronized with those of the blade, engages with the orthogonal teeth of a ratchet wheel. As the wheel turns, it winds a rope around a drum, the other end of which is tied to the trolley bearing the trunk to be sawn. The pulling of the rope allows the trolley to advance gradually while ensuring that the trunk is constantly in contact with the blade.