A pocket machining routine is developed, to calculate the tool path length, that uses a staircase milling-based strategy for single (axial depth) pass milling of polygonal pockets. This software is used in conjunction with a shareware, EMSIM (1995) accessed via the world-wide-web, to compute forces and surface error during pocket machining. The tool path length, a pseudo-average cutting force (PARF) and a pseudo-average surface error (PASE) are accordingly computed and studied against the orientation of the cutter with respect to the object geometry, the type of cutter (flat end, ball end) and cutter overlap. initial results justify the feasibility of using multiple variables for alternate tool path selection.