Abstract: In order to study the effect of the tool surface texture on the cutting performance,by controlling the diameter,depth and area density of micro pit on the rake face,two groups of the textured tool with the same surface arithmetic average height S_a were designed and manufactured. All the textured surfaces were measured by non-contact 3D optical profiler Talysurf CCI Lite and characterized by ISO25178.The wettability of JR3A cutting fluid on the textured surface was measured by SL200KS contact angle meter. Then,cutting experiments of 45^# steel were conducted using the non-textured and textured tool on a CA6140 lathe,and the effect of the different texture on the cutting force,frictional characteristics for the rake face,the machined surface roughness and the chip deformation was discussed. The results show that appropriate surface texture improved the cutting performance. The textured surface which possessed a higher speed of cutting fluid spread had better cutting performance. The synergy of the diameter,depth and area density of micro pit was crucial for improving the cutting performance. To coordinate theses texture parameters,the relevance between three - dimensional characterization parameters of the surface morphology S_ku、S_sk、S_v、V_vv、V_vc、S_dv、S_da、S_pd and the cutting performance were researched which can provide the basis for the tool surface design.