Patent ID: 7329072

Claim:
A clamping mechanism for a cutting insert comprising: an insert mounting seat for receiving the cutting insert; a holder having a pair of contacting surfaces facing each other, the insert mounting seat being formed in a tip of the holder, and the cutting insert having a pair of contact surfaces to contact the pair of contacting surfaces, respectively, the holder comprising: a tip provided with a pair of jaws that is formed with the pair of contacting surfaces, respectively, and is elastically deformable relatively in a direction that the contacting surfaces contact the contact surfaces; a clamping screw comprising: a male threaded portion threadedly attached to an upper jaw of the pair of jaws; a head received in a lower jaw of the pair of jaws, and the lower jaw comprising: a receiving hole having a smaller diameter portion that has a smaller diameter than that of the head opened toward the upper jaw and into which the male threaded portion can be loosely fitted; and a larger diameter portion that is opened opposite to the upper jaw for receiving the head; and a lid mounted to an opening of the receiving hole opposite to the upper jaw, wherein the clamping screw elastically deforms the pair of jaws to bring relatively the pair of contacting surfaces close to each other and to separate them relatively from each other.