Machine tool chatter is a serious problem which deteriorates surface quality of machined parts and increases tool wear, noise, and even causes tool failure. In the present paper, machine tool chatter has been studied and a stability lobe diagram (SLD) has been developed for a two degrees of freedom system to identify stable and unstable zones using zeroth order approximation method. A dynamic cutting force model has been modeled in tangential and radial directions using regenerative uncut chip thickness. Uncut chip thickness has been modeled using trochoidal path traced by the cutting edge of the tool. Dynamic cutting force coefficients have been determined based on the average force method. Several experiments have been performed at different feed rates and axial depths of cut to determine the dynamic cutting force coefficients and have been used for predicting SLD. Several other experiments have been performed to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed SLD. It is found that the proposed method is quite efficient in predicting the SLD. The cutting forces in stable and unstable cutting zone are in well agreement with the experimental cutting forces
