Grinding Stone Points

A collection of grinding stone points and small abrasive wheels is piled together on one of my dad’s wooden workbenches. Different shapes, sizes, and worn surfaces crowd into the center, with metal shanks and edges poking out in every direction.

I was drawn to how tactile these pieces were. Their rough surfaces, rounded edges, and signs of use felt completely different from the polished metal tools around them. Spending time arranging them gave me another way to look closely at the things my dad worked with every day and to remember the hands that had used them.

Part of Donna Dufault’s Tool Project, a collection of 19 black-and-white still life photographs created in 2002 using tools from her late father’s garage.