Material and tool selection

[MeJasonT]

For ages now i have been trying to unearth the magic behind material and tool selection. The people with the knowledge protect it like the Holy Grail and it shouldn't be so hard to bust the myth.
The problem is two pronged:-
As a new starter,SME or hobbyist in machining you go to your local steel stockist and ask for some steel, obviously they come in different hardness's and machine abilities as well as Alu, brass, stainless etc.
I made the novice move of buying mild steel bar for a project and found i had a huge learning curve ahead of me. Incidentally Mild steel not good its gummy- ie it sticks to tools dose not evacuate well and generally sluggish to cut.

Now you would think my metal stockist would suggest materials that would be best to use, No he had no idea what i was talking about when i asked about machineability of various materials. I found a nice list of four digit codes for various materials in the US but this apparently did not translate to the BS (British standard he understood or EN). I spend my life on Google, i'm one of their best patrons - hasten to add hours of searching has been unfruitful.
I didn't go to college and learn to be a machinist, so i suspect my lack of knowledge lies there. I'm not sure if material science is even taught on machinist courses.

The same goes for Tooling, if i buy from Ebay, Cutwell - a tooling supplier or my local steel stockist i don't get any information on the tool.
chipload and radius angle seems to be two bits of information they don't share - kind of important one would think.
I have taken to looking at similar tools in other manufacturers tooling catalogues and working out what i have bought, its working OK for now but its pretty shoddy really. My question to you all is can we debunk the myth and finally put the speeds and feeds to bed for the inspired and knowledge thirsty beginners. I find KISS is the best method so if you are an aeronautical specialist perhaps your insight will be airborne above the heads of many.

After many years I have finally worked out how to source and size index able lathe tips which I previously had to go back to the lathe manufacturer for as their part number was not an industry standard one but their own convoluted number. This is the best site with the most knowledgeable people to hammer out this topic as the vast array of experience far outweighs the rather limited information we can get from suppliers of over protective professionals.

Looking forward to your replies.