There is described an optomechanical tool (10a-10g and 10i-10o) for
machining a workpiece (W), the optomechanical tool (10a-10o) comprising: a body of material having an entrance face (12), a rake face (14), a flank face (16), a rake side face (18), and a flank side face (20), the rake side face (18) and the flank side face (20) are connected to the entrance face (12), the rake side face (18) is connected to the rake face (14), the flank side face (20) is connected to the flank face (16), the rake face (14) is connected to the flankface (16) to define an at least partially curved, non-linear, curved, arcuate, linear, non-curved, non-arcuate,
hybrid radius, or split
radius cutting edge (22). The entrance face (12) extends away from the flank side face (20) to define a back-relief angle (θ12). The rake face (14) extends away from the rake side face (18) to define a
rake angle (θ14). The entrance face (12) is configured to direct a
light beam (L) toward one or more of the rake face (14), the flank face (16), the rake side face (18), the flank side face (20), and the
cutting edge (22) and through one or more of the rake face (14), the flank face (16), and the
cutting edge (22), causing the
light beam (L) to refract onto the workpiece (W). There is also described a method of refracting a
light beam (L) toward a workpiece (W).