Before you think about how you will measure things....
What have you in the way tooling ? (cutters, holders, drills etc) & the knowledge to apply them.
Tooling is not cheap, and the knowledge/methods are diverse to what medium you want to cut
Ie aluminium cutters/tips shouldn't be used on steel, wood cutters are designed for wood, not metals.
Coolant &/or air for removing waste from cutting area.
Generally, heat is your enemy, cutting edges need to be kept sharp, and dull edges make heat.