A method for compensating for the deflection of a milling cutter during the machining of a workpiece by a numerically controlled machine tool having a plurality of axes includes: executing a learning cut on a test workpiece having a known geometry by the milling cutter mounted on a tool spindle in a climb milling mode, and in doing so, ascertaining a correlation between a quantity that is proportional to the torque of the drive of the tool spindle and the deflection of the milling cutter normal to a surface of the test workpiece, the deflection being determined by comparing the actual contour of the test workpiece to a setpoint contour. This is followed by storing of the correlation for the milling cutter and machining of the workpiece by the milling cutter in a climb milling mode, while utilizing the stored correlation for compensating for the deflection of the milling cutter by applying a positional correction that is proportional to the quantity to a setpoint position of the axes of the machine tool.
