Blades on the Bench

A small collection of metal cutting blades rests on one of my dad’s well-worn workbenches. Some overlap in a loose pile, while others sit apart, revealing their sharp edges, geometric shapes, and the little IR markings stamped into the metal.

I was drawn to the contrast between the precisely machined blades and the scratched, battered surface of his workbench. My dad spent his life repairing machinery and making things work. Bringing these pieces into my studio gave me time to appreciate the tools he knew so well and the marks he left behind.

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.