CNC grooving tool – difference between Face and Radial grooving tools
The CNC grooving tool is built differently for face and radial grooving. In a radial grooving holder the support section under the insert is straight, while in a face grooving holder it is curved.
Without the curve the holder will not enter the groove at all, and will foul with it. Also, because of the curve, each face grooving holder will only work within a certain groove diameter range.
Text source: Cadem NCyclopedia multimedia CNC training software.