In this paper a methodology is described to conduct temperature measurement on the cutting edges and the clearance faces on twist drills using a fibre optic two color pyrometer. Two measuring positions of the fibre were used in order to determine the temperature at two different locations, centre and outer corner of the drill. The measurements were carried out on a stationary work piece and a rotating drill. The work piece materials ranged from tool steel, aged Inconel 718, Ti6-4 to carbon epoxy fibre composite. All experiments were conducted in dry machining conditions.© 2012 The Authors.