Drill Bits and Blades

Drill bits, cutting blades, metal bars, and circular parts are gathered into a loose arrangement on one of my dad’s workbenches. I like the way the long, dark lines cut through the lighter metal pieces, while the drill bits twist in and out of the pile.

This photograph feels especially connected to the working side of his garage. These are the kinds of pieces that existed because something needed to be cut, drilled, repaired, or made to fit. My dad was always solving a problem or figuring out how to make something work, and photographing these tools gave me time to stay close to that part of him.

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.