Numerous researches have been reported in the literature on the cutting force control in end milling processes. There have been, however, very few practical applications actually employed in commercial products. The paper presents a simple, practically feasible and effective scheme to regulate the tool life through a long-term control of cutting force. Cutting force is monitored only at tool path check points, set typically at intervals of several dozen meters. Feedback control focuses only on a long-term point-to-point regulation of cutting force, targeting tool life providing cutting for the given desired distance. The effectiveness of the present approach is experimentally investigated by an application example to contour-parallel cutting of hardened steel.