Carbide Lathe Tools

A group of carbide lathe tools and cutting inserts is arranged across one of my dad’s wooden workbenches. The long rectangular tool holders create strong lines through the image, while the smaller toothed inserts are scattered between them.

I liked the contrast between these precise little cutting pieces and the heavier blocks of steel that held them. My dad understood tools like these in a way I never did, but photographing them gave me time to study their shapes, their wear, and the working world they belonged to.

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.