The Dutch saw mill storey is even more interesting. Windmills already existed in China from the Han dynasty (25-220 AD) onwards. It was the brilliant combination of two existing techniques, that of the windmill and the crankshaft, by Cornelis Corneliszoon that created the breakthrough.

In 1592 he built his first sawmill in the town of Uitgeest. Three years later it was sold, dismantled and re-built in Zaandam, kicking off the start of the Dutch Golden era.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelis_Corneliszoon_van_Uitgeest