In the present paper, self-excited vibration in grinding caused by the regnerative effect of workpiece surface as well as grinding wheel surface is theoretically investigated. The limit of stability and the rate of chatter increase are analyzed by calculating the root of characteristic equation of the system. From the results, some useful data are drawn for selecting the adequate grinding condition. The results obtained are summarized as follows: (1) The chatter phenomenon in grinding is satisfactorily explained by the theory described in this paper. (2) The chatter caused by the workpeice regeneration can be avoided by selecting a low workpiece velocity. (3) The cumulative metal removal during the tool life period of grinding wheel, which is determined by the occurrence of grinding wheel regenerative chatter, can be increased by selecting the following conditions, i.e., high infeed, high workpiece velocity and low wheel velocity.