This study presents a systematic comparison of six machine learning algorithms for surface roughness ( \(\varvec{Ra}\) ) prediction in dry turning of Ti-6Al-4V across two nose radii ( \(\varvec{r}_{\varvec{\varepsilon }} \varvec{= 0.4}\) mm and \(\varvec{r}_{\varvec{\varepsilon }} \varvec{= 0.8}\) mm) using a central composite design with 38 experiments. The algorithms evaluated are Support Vector Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, Gaussian Process Regression, Extreme Learning Machine, and a Lichtenberg-Optimised ELM in which the Lichtenberg Algorithm replaces random weight initialisation with a structured fractal search. All models are trained on \(\varvec{\log (Ra)}\) and validated by leave-one-out cross-validation under two feature configurations: process parameters only and process parameters augmented with cutting force measurements. GPR achieves the highest accuracy ( \(\varvec{R}^{\varvec{2}} \varvec{= 0.922}\) ); under the present conditions, process parameters alone prove sufficient — force signals degrade four of six models due to collinearity with feed rate, confirmed by variance inflation factors exceeding 10 for \(\varvec{\bar{F}}_{\varvec{f}}\) and \(\varvec{\bar{F}}_{\varvec{p}}\) . A polynomial regression baseline reaches \(\varvec{R}^{\varvec{2}} \varvec{= 0.920}\) , matching GPR; ML advantages lie in uncertainty quantification, localised nonlinearity capture, and robustness to broader conditions. LA-ELM records the largest force-induced gain ( \(\varvec{\Delta R}^{\varvec{2}} \varvec{= +0.074}\) ), reaching \(\varvec{R}^{\varvec{2}} \varvec{= 0.895}\) and surpassing Random Forest and XGBoost. Results confirm that the Lichtenberg Algorithm is an effective weight optimisation strategy for ELM in small-dataset manufacturing regression.