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The cutting force generated during the cutting process affects the quality of the workpieces and tool wear. Accurate real-time monitoring of cutting forces plays an important role in the study of cutting mechanism and machining quality improvement. This article describes a tool with embedded nickel–chrome thin film sensor for cutting force measurement. The tool structure is optimized with grooving, drilling to form stepped sidewalls in the appropriate position. A simplified cantilever model for finite element simulation analysis in mechanics is used for analysis, in which the substrate thickness and Ni-Cr thin film–resistive grid position are determined through analysis. The output voltage is proportional to the external force with a factor of 0.0091 at 0.2 mm substrate thickness, which is a 100% gain over the original model. The designed tool with embedded sensors fabricated on the 0.5 mm substrate was validated with static calibration and cutting test. The results demonstrate that the sensor output voltage is proportional to the external force with a scale factor of 0.00518 and the resistance grid factor of 1.6. The tool and the Kistler dynamometer are in good agreement, with an error of 6.8% in measuring the main cutting force.