To inspect the shape of an edge of a drill by image processing automatically with high accuracy by using a sideward image taking camera in addition to an edge image taking camera, and focusing a pint of the edge image taking camera to the edge of the drill in a noncontact manner.

While a drill D supplied from a supply mechanism is held by an up-down mechanism 1, an edge of the drill D is image taken by an edge image taking camera 2 from above and the drill D is image taken by a sideward image taking camera 3 from a lateral direction. The mechanism 1 raises and lowers the drill D to adjust an end of the drill D to a focus position of the camera 2. The upward and downward movements of the drill D are controlled by a motor controller 5 to which an image processing result from the camera 3 is outputted, and the image taking result of the camera 3 is monitored by a drill D sideward image monitor 7. The camera 2 is connected to a host personal computer 4 via an image processor so that the shape of edge is determined good or not from the image obtained by taking the edge of the drill D.