Self-turning tables can now be reproduced by carpenters at an ancient carpentry village in Quang Nam Province.

This was once the traditional product of Van Ha Village in Tam Thanh Commune of Phu Ninh District.

But it had disappeared for decades long before young artisans studied to restore the techniques to make the product.

Without using any ball bearings or metal sheets, the table faces can turn around thanks to their special design.

Dinh Tham (L, 2nd) and two skillful carpenters, Pham Mien (L, 3rd) and Tran Ngoc Tuan (R), are seen checking the decorations of a self-turning table in Van Ha Village.

A big pillar decorated like a flower vase is vertically placed on a joint of three legs below.

The table face is then placed atop the pillar, as illustrated in pictures attached to this story show.

The turning of the face is based on techniques, not magic or wizardry as rumored before.

To make the table face able to turn round with minimum force, a depression must be made at the exact center on its back side to smoothly match with the top part of the pillar of the table.

It still requires some more tricks and secrets that were not revealed by carpenters to make the table face sensitive to a minimum force, such as the placing of human palms on it.

Before, it was rumored that the table face turns clockwise if one or more people place their palms on it for three seconds, and it turns counterclockwise if palms are placed upward on the table face.

In short, placing either side of your hands is the force needed to make the sensitive table face turn around, and determining the direction is based on the psychological factor of the people impacting it.

Senior carpenter Dinh Tham, now in his 90s, is credited as the authentic restorer of the ancient wood tables of Van Ha Village.

The village, which is believed to have been established in the 14th century, produced wood tables of this design centuries ago, and the last one was made 70 years back.

However, Van Ha carpenters at that time did not know that the tables could turn around by placing hands on it.

The fact was randomly uncovered by users in the 1990s when the techniques of creating the tables had faded with the passing away of skilled carpenters.

Then, they were rumored as magic self-turning tables.

(Source: Tuoitrenews)