PurposeIn this paper, a vibration measuring technique that relies on the use of piezoelectric material and is originally developed to measure the vibration of turbine blade is adopted to measure the vibration of cutting tool in turning. The piezoelectric material is embedded at the root of the cutting tool. The scope of this research is to investigate the feasibility of using this technique by first conducting ANSYS simulation to solve the coupled field equations that govern the piezoelectric phenomenon followed by experimental work to compare the measured data with those obtained by conventional method to have an insight into the effectiveness of the adopted technique. Both simulation and experimental results show that the use of an embedded PZT sensor at the root of cutting tool is very useful for measuring vibration and can be used for further cutting operation control. In addition, it has captured more information than conventional vibration measurement techniques.Design/methodology/approachVibration measurement of root-embedded PZT material to convert the dynamic cutting forces into vibration signals that can be used in cutting process optimization and improvement of cutting quality.FindingsPZT material is found to be very responsive to high-frequency vibrations such that it can catch Chatter phenomena and can be used in developing control strategies.Research limitations/implicationsMainly used for turning cutting process in this research. Other manufacturing process like milling special tool holder designs.Practical implicationsCan be used as online monitoring systems for cutting tool holders.Social implicationsEngineer and technician aid in quality assurance and control.Originality/valueThe new approach of embedding PZT material at the cutting tool root and the signals presentation and processing.