The "3 Pass Method" When finishing a part to a specified tolerance, the 3 pass method is commonly used by Machinists. The idea is to make 3 equal depth passes under the same cutting conditions. Adjust the tool offset values accordingly to compensate for any discrepancy between the target value and the recorded value. In this case, we took 3 passes, which were each .025" in depth. The minimum depth of cut should not be less than the tool nose radius utilized. In this case, our nose radius was .01