These authors reported work on cutting oils in our September/October 1972 issue and this paper describes a continuation of their work. The selection of special cutting fluids and lubricants can significantly affect metal cutting operations. Friction forces during metal cutting can increase the amount of work to be done to deform the material, can increase tool wear, and can increase surface roughness of the workpiece. The frictional force can be reduced by the correct selection of cutting oil. In this paper the authors describe work to investigate the performance of molybdenum disulphide and graphite‐based cutting fluids and lubricants when machining mild steel under different processes. The results suggest that graphite‐based fluids give the better results under these experimental conditions.