The elliptical vibration cutting is applied to the three-dimensional turning operation in the present research. The direction of plane including the elliptical vibration is optimized, so that the chip is pulled out efficiently and thus the cutting force is minimized. Then, practical effects produced by applying the elliptical vibration are investigated experimentally, and the following remarks are obtained: (1) generation of burr is restrained almost completely, (2) machining accuracy is improved significantly, (3) regenerative chatter is suppressed, and (4) adhesion of the workpiece material to the rake face is reduced considerably. It is shown that the former three effects are caused by the extraordinary reduction of cutting force, and these effects are increased with the increase of velocity ratio, i.e. ratio of maximum vibration speed to nominal cutting speed.