This article proposes a new design for pin-on-disc machines and introduces a research methodology that aims at providing a new level of understanding for the influence of surface texture and roughness on the average value of the friction coefficient. The new design for pin-on-disc machines increases the overall stiffness, eliminates the need for counter weights, and allows tests to be carried out under variable loading conditions and includes a unit for producing and regenerating the desired texture and roughness in the surface of the discs after completion of each test. The comparison between the friction coefficient obtained with pin-on-disc tests and that acquired in metal cutting laboratory conditions allows concluding that pin-on-disc tests, when performed with an adequate control of texture and surface roughness, are capable of providing a good estimate of the average value of the friction coefficient in metal cutting applications.