A tool holder has a main body with a holder head extending away from a holder shank, the holder head having an insert receiving pocket at a forward end thereof, with a pocket support surface. A clamping member is retained in the holder head, the clamping member comprising a clamping shaft longitudinally extending along a shaft axis. A locking member operatively engages an abutment surface of the clamping shaft. The shaft axis does not intersect the pocket support surface, and the clamping shaft has a non-circular shape in a cross-section taken perpendicular to the shaft axis. The tool holder is configured to direct a clamping force towards, and clamp a cutting insert against, the pocket support surface.

A groove insert to be received in a tool holder has, along its top and bottom side and on its rear side, a holding structure which is formed by holding faces which taper toward one another and by way of which the groove insert is fixed in the tool holder in a positive locking manner. The tool holder has corresponding counter faces. The groove insert and the tool holder form a groove cutting tool.

Workpieces are placed in the workstation so one is in registration with a fixed locator. Measurement data are obtained reflecting the positions of the respective features of the workpieces and represented in a common reference frame associated with the fixed locator. A processor uses the collection of assembly data and the measurement data to define and store ordered pairs of mating feature locations. The pairs are then reoriented using a computationally discovered best fit. The position of a feature demarked for registration with the adjustable locator is calculated and the adjustable locator is caused to move to the calculated position of the feature demarked for registration thereby establishing a best fit orientation of the mating workpieces in physical space. The mating workpieces are then positioned in said best fit orientation by registration with said fixed and adjustable locators and then mechanically joining the mating workpieces.

A holder for grooving work includes a shank portion, and a head portion located on an end portion thereof. The head portion includes an insert attaching space, an upper and lower respectively located above and below the insert attaching space, a slit extending backward from the insert attaching space, an upper and a lower jaw connecting portions divided by the slit, an upper clamp surface on the upper jaw and a lower clamp surface on the lower jaw opposed to the insert attaching space. A column-shaped groove is connected to the deepest end of the slit. The column-shaped groove is formed to reduce the thickness of the upper jaw connecting portion, and extends from the lateral face on the side of the insert attaching space halfway along the deepest end of the slit toward the opposite lateral face. Upon attaching the insert to the holder the cutting tool is obtained.