Objective In view of the two main problems of poor machinability and tool wear in turning Inconel 718 nickelbased superalloy surface micro-texture technology was proposed for tool design and fabrication. Methods Firstly the theoretical tool-chip contact length model of the micro-texture tool was established. Secondly the theoretical models of cutting force and cutting heat of surface texture tool were established by using the theoretical tool-chip contact length model. Finally the cutting force and cutting temperature of the micro-textured tool were analyzed theoretically according to the changes in theoretical tool-chip contact length and the finite element simulation model was established. Results The results of finite element simulation show that the micro-texture tool has better turning performance than the carbide tool. Conclusion Compared with the cutting force of carbide tools the three-way cutting force of the micro-texture tool is small. The axial force and radial force fluctuate in a certain range and the main cutting force is increasing. Compared with the cutting temperature of carbide tools micro-texture tools can reduce the cutting heat during cutting and the circular micro-texture tool has the lowest cutting temperature among the three micro-texture tools. Compared with carbide tools surface micro textures can reduce the surface wear of the tool and reduce the extrusion and friction between the tool and the chip. And the different shapes of surface micro-textures produce different wear depths.