Abstract: The invention pertains to a process for monitoring bar cutoff on CNC-controlled automatic bar lathes having a main spindle (3), an auxiliary spindle (6) and a pull-away carriage (WS3). In cutting-off operations it is necessary to monitor whether the cutting-off operation has cleanly severed the workpiece from the unmachined part. This control prevents machine damage that could arise as a result of imperfectly severed workpieces. The invention provides that after the cutting-off operation is completed, the pull-away carriage is started in the direction of a predetermined control path. In the time the pull-away carriage moves along the control path, the contour variation is monitored and compared with a value for contour variation that was defined in no-load operation, i.e. without a workpiece. If upon comparison the contour variation exceeds a predetermine threshold of difference, i.e.