In this paper， a study on surface quality of chopped carbon fiber phenolic composites was carried out with the help of 3D measurement technology and orthogonal cutting test.The effect of three elements of cutting and tool nose arc radius on machining quality was researched.Significant factors on machining factors was analyzed through Design Expert. It is found that with the increasing of cutting speed and feed rate the corresponding surface roughness is increased， but reduced with the increasing of cutting depth and tool nose arc radius.The significant factors are tool nose arc radius and feed rate.The best combination of machining parameters are v=160 r/min，f=0.15 mm/r， a_p=0.6 mm， r=0.6 mm，and the conclusions are reliable by implementing cutting test and modeling analysis.