With increasing market demands and new technology advances, manufacturing is aspiring to achieve automation with high productivity and improved precision and control. As a result, extensive research aiming to improve the performance of machining processes can be found. Undesired vibration within precision manufacturing processes is a major source of poor surface finish, increased tool wear, and poor dimensional accuracy. Chatter, i.e. self-excited vibration, is considered one of the critical sources of vibration that unfavourably affects the quality and productivity of high-speed manufacturing processes. This research investigates the controllability of the vibration characteristics of magnetorheological (MR) structures as a precursor to a future vibration control system.