In order to machine the novel composite cycloid gear，a machining method is developed on the basis of the kinematic control of involute shaping cutter． At first， the digital and discrete models of the effective tooth profile of composite cycloid gear and the tooth profile of involute shaping cutter are built． The relationship between composite cycloid gear and involute shaping cutter relative motion is analyzed in the machining process． The kinematic control model for machining composite cycloid gear is derived on the basis of conjugation theory of gear meshing． The movement parameters of CNC machine are solved，and these parameters are interpolated in a continuous conjugate motion． The continuous shaping of the effective tooth profile of composite cycloid gear is realized． Then， the central path of the spherical milling cutter for milling the root of composite cycloid gear is derived，and the selection method of milling cutter is presented． At last， the machining process of composite cycloid gear is simulated by the software Matlab． The simulation results demonstrate that the developed machining method not only is feasible but also has fairly high precision．