Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the movement of a universally swivellable cutting arm of a partial cut cutting machine of the kind including a first hydraulic drive for lifting and lowering the cutting arm in order to preselect the depth of cut and a further hydraulic drive for swivelling the cutting arm transversely relative to the direction of lifting movement and lowering movement, wherein the time interval elapsed for actuating one of the drives and/or the volumetric amount of pressurized fluid supplied to each of the drives is measured and wherein, in dependence on the desired preselected depth of cut and after having attained the time interval of actuating one drive required for the preselected depth of cut or after having attained the volumetric amount for the displacement in direction of the preselected depth of cut, supply of pressurized fluid to the first drive is closed and only the supply of pressurized fluid to the further drive is released.