[mmoe]

Oh and I don't have flood coolant yet. Planning on having that setup in the next two weeks with an enclosure. I have a spray bottle of WD-40 and a 60 gallon air compressor for now, along with aluminum chips in every crack and corner! I'm going to air cut first, then wood and then after that try a few different models so that I prove that I have a bit of a handle on it. Build the enclosure, coolant system, upgraded stand and chip collection over the next few weeks then go for more aluminum cuts. I will probably try one or two using aluminum with the air and WD-40 between now and then unless others think I will destroy my end mill trying that....

If it were me, I'd stick with carbide until you can get more coolant on there. HSS is sharp, but not for long if it gets hot. If set to the correct feed/speeds, carbide can take a lot more abuse. If you mist WD-40 onto the part with a good carbide bit, you'll be able to get a nice finish out of it. Don't go cheap on carbide bits, they are usually not very sharp if you do. A high quality carbide bit will last and cuts nearly the same as HSS anyways.