This paper provides a review of the performance for SM45C using the CNC lathe. Under the constant cutting area, the tool wear for large feed rate is more than the small feed rate, and the progress goes more rapidly as the cutting speed is increased. This is caused by the friction between the workpiece and the bite. The average cutting force increases as the feedrate increases, and decreases as the cutting speed increases. This is because the effective rake/shear angle becomes smaller as the feedrate becomes larger. The higher is the cutting speed and the aspect ratio (the ratio for depth of cut to feedrate), the lower is the cutting force and the surface roughness. Also, for the optimal selection of the cutting conditions, many experimental graphical data were obtained. That is, the cutting force, the tool life, and the surface roughness were measured and investigated as the depth of cut and the feedrate changed. And the size effect was examined as the depth of the cut varied.