Carbide Inserts

Dozens of triangular carbide inserts are gathered into a dense pile on one of my dad’s wooden workbenches. Their sharp points, round center holes, and different sizes create a pattern that feels almost playful compared with the heavy machinery they were made to work with.

My dad spent his career repairing and maintaining industrial machinery, and his garage was filled with small parts like these alongside much larger tools. I loved sorting through all of it. Photographing these pieces gave me time to notice their shapes and surfaces in a way I never had when they were simply part of his working world.

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.