Yes they are rpm.
For example a piece of 100mm dia bronze is shown with a cutting speed of 76rpm.
circumferance of bar is 0.1m x 3.142 = 0.3142m
Multiply that by the rpm 0.3142 x 76 = 23.88meters per minuit cutting speed which is near enough the 24mm along the top.
J
Edited By JasonB on 13/05/2014 16:54:10