An apparatus (100) and method (200) of contact machining having applications in profiling operations utilizes at least one static cutting tool (101) and turret (102) driven by rotary motion (103) about a support mechanism (109) for providing sufficient force to achieve deformation by controlled fracturing (523). This allows the separation of material from a workpiece (105) without imposing axial symmetry upon either the cutting tool (101) or the workpiece (105). The apparatus and method mitigates and/or eliminates the adverse effects of plastic deformation (504) while machining a wider range of shapes and materials with greater productivity and precision than existing methods of machining.