A parametric side table inspired by classical Chinese Ming-dynasty furniture, modeled in Fusion 360 via Python script. 28"L x 13.75"D x 30.875"H. Round splayed legs and a traditional joinery vocabulary throughout: a 格角榫 mitered mortise-and-tenon top frame (concealed tenon, clean mitered corners), hidden full-blind dovetails at the apron corners, mitered mortise-and-tenons that meet inside the round legs at the shelf, floating frame-and-panel surfaces with sliding-dovetail battens, and carved spandrel brackets — almost every joint is concealed, reading as clean miters from the outside.
/woodworking
Build a classic Ming-style side table, 28"L x 13.75"D x 30.875"H, with round 1-3/8"
legs splayed 1.5 degrees. Top: a floating frame-and-panel with sliding-dovetail battens
and 格角榫 mitered mortise-and-tenon corners (concealed tenon, mitered outside) plus a
hollow spline edge molding. Aprons: a band with carved spandrel brackets, joined corner
to corner with hidden full-blind dovetails. Shelf: a floating frame-and-panel whose rails
are coped to the round legs with full-height mitered tenons that meet inside each leg.
Fully parametric.
apply_appearance(species="cherry")
Via MCP (recommended): If you have the Fusion 360 MCP add-in configured, just ask Claude to run it.
Manual: Fusion 360 > Utilities > Scripts and Add-Ins > (+) > select this folder > Run
Script: ming_table.py
All exposed as User Parameters (Modify > Change Parameters):
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
table_l |
28 in | Overall table length (X) |
table_d |
13.75 in | Overall table depth (Y) |
table_h |
30.875 in | Overall height, floor to top surface |
splay |
1.5 deg | Leg splay/rake angle from vertical, per axis |
tf_t |
1 1/16 in | Top-frame stock thickness (vertical) |
tf_w |
2 in | Top-frame member width |
panel_t |
0.3125 in | Top-panel thickness |
tongue_ov |
0.25 in | Panel tongue protrusion into the frame groove |
tf_cham_d |
0.104 in | Top-frame edge-profile depth (inward from outer face) |
tf_cham_h |
tf_t | Top-frame edge-profile height (up from bottom face) |
tf_tn_d |
tf_w·1.5/3.5 | 格角榫 tenon depth into the stile (template ratio) |
tf_tn_st |
tf_w·1.2/3.5 | 格角榫 tenon shoulder at the inner edge |
tf_tn_sb |
tf_w·0.6/3.5 | 格角榫 tenon shoulder at the outer edge |
leg_dia |
1.375 in | Leg diameter (round leg) |
leg_setback_x |
5.375 in | Distance each leg is set in from the table END (X) |
leg_setback_y |
1.125 in | Distance each leg is set in from the table SIDE (Y) |
leg_embed |
0.5 in | How far the leg top embeds up into the frame |
apron_t |
0.375 in | Apron stock thickness |
apron_w |
1.125 in | Apron height (band width) |
fbd_lip |
0.1 in | Hidden-dovetail lip thickness |
fbd_pad |
0.1 in | Hidden-dovetail end padding |
fbd_angle |
10 deg | Hidden-dovetail flank angle |
fbd_tail_w |
0.225 in | Dovetail tail width at the wide face |
fbd_tail_count |
2 | Number of dovetail tails per corner |
spandrel_depth |
3 9/16 in | Spandrel vertical extent below the apron |
shelf_z |
20 in | Shelf top height above the floor |
sf_t |
0.875 in | Shelf-frame stock thickness |
sf_w |
1.375 in | Shelf-frame member width |
sp_panel_t |
0.3125 in | Shelf-panel thickness |
tenon_w |
0.5 in | Shelf-rail tenon width |
sf_tn_h |
sf_t | Shelf-rail tenon height (full thickness, reaches top + bottom) |
bt_w |
0.875 in | Top-batten width |
bt_off |
7 in | Top-batten offset from center (+/-) |
bt_dt_base |
0.5 in | Batten dovetail base width (narrow side) |
bt_dt_top |
0.75 in | Batten dovetail top width (wide side) |
| Parameter | Expression | Description |
|---|---|---|
tf_bot |
table_h - tf_t |
Z of the frame underside |
ltx |
table_l / 2 - leg_setback_x |
Leg half-spread in X (legs at ±ltx) |
lty |
table_d / 2 - leg_setback_y |
Leg half-spread in Y (legs at ±lty) |
leg_tip_z |
tf_bot + leg_embed |
Z of the leg top |
fbd_socket |
apron_t - fbd_lip |
Tail penetration depth into the long apron |
fbd_narrow_w |
fbd_tail_w - 2 * fbd_socket * tan(fbd_angle) |
Tail narrow width |
fbd_pitch |
(apron_w - 2 * fbd_pad) / fbd_tail_count |
Tail pitch (centered field) |
| Component | Features |
|---|---|
| Legs | FL round leg swept with 1.5° splay, top let into the frame; mirror to all 4 |
| Top | Frame-and-panel: long rails + short stiles joined with 格角榫 mitered mortise-and-tenons (concealed tenon, 45° miter outside), grooved for a floating panel with one-shoulder tongues, two sliding-dovetail battens underneath; hollow spline edge molding on all 4 outer bottom edges |
| Aprons | Long-apron band + carved spandrel brackets joined via internal 1/8" tongues; short aprons lofted between the long-apron miter faces; hidden full-blind dovetails at all 4 corners |
| Shelf | Frame-and-panel mid shelf; rails coped (rounded shoulder) to the round legs with full-height mitered tenons that meet inside each leg and tenon into the long rail; floating panel with a sliding-dovetail batten |
- 格角榫 (mitered mortise-and-tenon) — the top-frame corners (ported from the
chinese_frame_and_paneltemplate). Each long rail is a full box; the top and bottom thirds of its thickness get a 45° miter, while the middle third keeps a shouldered tenon. The stiles are then CUT by the shaped rails, inheriting the mating miter + mortise. Outside reads as a clean miter; the tenon is concealed. - Hidden (full-blind) dovetail — the apron corners. Tails on the short aprons drop into sockets in the long aprons behind a concealing end lip, so nothing shows from outside. Built once on the front-left corner and mirrored to all four.
- Mitered tenons into a round leg — at the shelf, the long- and short-rail tenons are coped to the round leg and mitered on the leg-center diagonal so they meet face-to-face inside the leg (instead of colliding). The short rail is coped to the long rail before its tenon is built, then the tenon cuts its own mortise into the long rail — so the long rail's cope never trims the tenon.
- Splayed round legs — each leg is swept along a raked centerline (1.5° per axis); apron and shelf positions are derived so they track the lean parametrically.
- Floating frame-and-panel (top and shelf) — grooved frames with one-shoulder panel tongues; sliding-dovetail battens (穿带) keep the panels flat while allowing wood movement.
- Spandrel brackets — carved brackets under the apron, joined to the band with internal tongues so the apron + spandrels act as one member at each corner.
- Spline edge molding — a custom fitted-spline cutter sweeps a hollow molding along the top-frame outer bottom edge; cut on every member so it wraps the corners and trims the through-tenons flush.
- Mirror-based replication — symmetric parts (legs, frame members, aprons, shelf rails, battens, dovetails) are built once and mirrored, so the whole piece rebuilds from a single corner's geometry.
| Location | Joint | Chinese term | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top-frame corners | Mitered mortise-and-tenon | 格角榫 | 45° miter shows outside; the tenon is concealed in the middle third of the thickness. |
| Apron corners | Full-blind (secret mitered) dovetail | 闷齿斗角榫 | Tails on the short apron hide in sockets in the long apron behind a lip — invisible outside. |
| Apron → leg | Forked/slotted leg clamping the apron | 格角牙夹头榫 | The leg is slotted to "clamp" the apron; a mitered spandrel fills the corner. |
| Shelf rails → round legs | Round-wraps-round, coped + mitered tenons | 圆包圆内榫格 | Rails coped to wrap the round leg; full-height tenons miter together inside the leg. |
| Panel → frame | Groove-and-tongue | 舌榫（簧） | One-shoulder tongue riding in the frame groove. |
| Battens under panels | Sliding-dovetail batten | 穿带 | Tapered dovetail batten slid into a groove across the panel underside; keeps it flat. |
| Top & shelf fields | Frame-and-floating-panel | 攒边打槽装板 | Grooved frame captures a panel that floats for wood movement. |
| Spandrel brackets | Carved bracket (part) | 牙子 / 角牙 | Carved brackets joined to the apron band by internal 1/8" tongues. |
Because nearly every joint is concealed, here are transparent renders (edge lines kept) that reveal the hidden joinery. For each joint the two images are a complementary pair: each side of the joint is made see-through in turn, shot from the opposite face.
The rail's tenon revealed through the transparent stile; then the stile's mortise through the transparent rail (opposite face).
The short apron's tails through the transparent long apron; then the long apron's sockets through the transparent short apron.
The long apron passing through the transparent leg; then the apron + mitered spandrel ghosted against the solid leg.
The two full-height rail tenons mitering together inside the transparent leg; then the short rail's tenon seated in the transparent long rail (opposite face).
Change any parameter in Fusion 360's Change Parameters dialog. Key relationships:
ltx = table_l / 2 - leg_setback_xandlty = table_d / 2 - leg_setback_y— leg spread tracks the overall size and setbacks automatically.fbd_socket = apron_t - fbd_lip— tail depth follows apron thickness so the lip always conceals the joint.fbd_pitch = (apron_w - 2 * fbd_pad) / fbd_tail_count— the dovetail field stays centered in the apron height; changefbd_tail_countto add or remove tails.leg_tip_z = tf_bot + leg_embed— the leg top embeds a fixed amount into the frame regardless of height.
Changing splay re-rakes the legs and the derived apron/shelf positions follow. Changing leg_dia, apron_w, or fbd_tail_count updates the joinery proportions automatically.
A full-size flat-end table (平头案) derived from this model with minimal edits: overall dimensions scaled up, the shelf removed, and two round stretchers added between each front/back leg pair (coped saddle shoulders wrapping the round legs + blind four-shoulder tenons). Members re-proportioned for the larger size — thicker legs/aprons/frames, doubled frame width, wider spandrels, three dovetail tails per apron corner — and the apron setback is equal on all four sides (leg_setback_y derives from ap_end_inset + apron_t / 2).
Script: variations/pingtou-an/pingtou_an.py
/woodworking
Make a large 平头案 from the Ming side table: 60"L x 25"D x 30"H, same joinery, no shelf.
Add 2 round stretchers at the lower 1/3 of the legs (2/3 leg diameter, coped shoulders
wrapping the legs, blind tenons with shoulders on all four sides). Re-proportion the
members for the size and keep the apron setback equal front-back and left-right.