What kind of machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to cut wood using water power?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a hydraulic saw to cut wood using water power.

Leonardo studied machines that could convert the motion of flowing water into useful mechanical work. In his saw design, a waterwheel supplied rotary motion, while linkages converted that motion into the back-and-forth movement needed by a saw blade. Such a machine could automate work that otherwise required substantial manual labor.

Water-powered mills were already known in Europe, so Leonardo did not invent water power itself. His contribution was the detailed analysis and refinement of mechanisms, including systems for transmitting motion and coordinating several parts.

The design is sometimes described as a modern industrial saw, but it belonged to Renaissance mill technology. Leonardo’s surviving drawings are engineering studies and do not prove that every machine he sketched was built or operated exactly as shown.