Abstract: A positioning control system for a manually operated machine tool. When programmed by an operator, the system provides a visual indication of the necessary incremental movement of a movable member, as a machine tool bed, to a series of desired preselected positions. The system displays a zero indication when the operator reaches the desired position. The incremental movement to the next position is then displayed, permitting the operator to move the movable member to that position under the guidance of the display which again goes to zero when the position is reached. The system permits the operator to enter the location of each desired preselected position, and entry of each position may be made with respect to a common reference coordinate. Each position is stored in a memory for repeated use in guiding the operator in positioning the movable member.