Methods of forming earth-boring tools, methods of affixing cutting elements to earth-boring tools

A method of affixing a cutting element to an earth-boring tool, comprising:

• forming a recess directly in a material of a body of an earth-boring tool with a back surface of the recess comprising an alignment structure;
• inserting a unitary cutting element into the recess of the body of the earth-boring tool, directly adjacent the material of the body, without intervening structures between a back face of the unitary cutting element and the back surface of the recess;
• applying a molten braze material to a clearance between a lateral side of the unitary cutting element and a lateral side of the recess;
• and
• abutting an alignment structure of the back face of the unitary cutting element with the alignment structure of the back surface of the recess to rotate the unitary cutting element about a longitudinal axis of the cutting element within the recess to a specific predetermined rotational orientation relative to the body, and precluding unintended rotation of the cutting element from the specific predetermined rotational orientation by maintaining direct contact between the alignment structure of the unitary cutting element and the alignment structure of the body.

A method of affixing a cutting element to an earth-boring tool, comprising:

• inserting a unitary cutting element into a recess defined directly by a body of the earth-boring tool without intervening structures between a back face of the unitary cutting element and a back surface of the recess;
• directly abutting an alignment feature of the unitary cutting element with a complementary alignment feature of the body in the recess to rotate the unitary cutting element about a longitudinal axis of the unitary cutting element within the recess to a specific predetermined rotational orientation, the alignment features comprising one of at least one protrusion or at least one pocket defined in the recess and the complementary alignment features comprising the other of the at least one protrusion or the at least one pocket defined on the unitary cutting element;
• applying a molten braze material to a clearance between a lateral side of the unitary cutting element and a lateral side of the recess;
• and precluding rotation of the unitary cutting element element about the longitudinal axis of the recess by maintaining direct contact between the alignment feature and the complementary alignment feature.