Patent ID: 7156006

Claim:
An assembly comprised of: a) a cutting insert having a central axis extending therethrough, wherein the insert is intended to machine a workpiece by rotation of the insert about the central axis and wherein the insert is comprised of a body having: 1) a top surface and a bottom surface; 2) at least one side therebetween extending around the entire body; and 3) a cutting edge extending along the entire intersection of the at least one side and the top surface, thereby defining a cutting edge circumference made up of a plurality of adjacent circumferential segments, wherein the cutting edge circumference lies within a single plane; b) a rotatable toolholder upon which the cutting insert is mounted, wherein the toolholder is adapted to rotate the insert about the central axis at a predetermined rotational speed and wherein the toolholder is adapted to present to the workpiece in a continuous sequential fashion the adjacent circumferential segments of the cutting edge; and c) wherein the insert has an elliptical shape for shaping the workpiece so that it has a non-circular cross-section.