[How do I?] Will this cut mild steel?

IMO I believe that the carbide used on wood router bits is about a C-2 grade, which would / does work for aluminum and mild steel, (1018), running about 300 s.f.p.m. and probably about .002“ chip load per tooth.
 
7milesup said:
I had no idea you could use router bits for doing operations like that. I have drawers of router bits, since I have been woodworking for about 30 years.
Seems like the RPM is quite low and the DOC is also shallow. Any idea what you were running for that cut?
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RPM is quite low compared to a router. I calculated the appropriate rpm for the maximum diameter of the cutter (1 in.) with HSS and roughly doubled it to 660 rpm. DOC was the full cut (1/4 Rad.) in one pass. Feed was deliberately slow to preserve the cutter and get the best finish. It produced a very nice finish with no noticeable wear on the cutter. The transitions (from x to y feed) in the corners were perfect. MUCH better (and cheaper) than a HSS radius cutter intended for metal.
 
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