Abstract: A tangential cutting insert has a body with an operative front surface associated with upper and lower main cutting edges, side auxiliary cutting edges and corner cutting edges therebetween. All cutting edged have rake surfaces formed at the front surface and extending from their associated cutting edges in an inward direction of the cutting insert. The cutting insert has an imaginary reference plane passing through extremities of the cutting corner edges thereof. Each of the main cutting edges extends from its associated comer edges in an inward direction of the cutting insert away from the reference plane.