Disclosed is a method for machining the bearing seats (HL, PL) of shafts (1), especially crankshafts. According to said method, the bearing seats (HL, PL) are subjected to the following machining operations after initially shaping a shaft (1) in a forging or casting process: the bearing seats (HL, PL) are preformed by cutting the same using a specific cutting edge; they are hardened; they are passed through dressing rollers; they are subjected to a preliminary rotary milling process; and they are subjected to a final rotary milling process. The preliminary and the final rotary milling process are carried out during substantially an entire rotation of the shaft (1) without longitudinally or tangentially advancing the milling cutter (12).