# Old Speedway Mill.



## WalterC

Sometimes you just run into a deal you can't pass up.
 This mill was sitting in a garage in the corner with cobwebs over it so I had to ask about it. The owner said he bought it new many years ago to make parts for his motorcycles, but after finding out how much the tooling would cost he just forgot about it, drilled a few holes with it for a while then used his regular drill press instead. 
 I noticed it still was caked with the dried out packing grease and there was some staining but it didn't look like rust. He said; "Give me 100 bucks and it's yours".  I did.

 Model# DTMACH 34/03989.  Speedway Series.  No Serial# as far as I know.

 As with any new machine, I took it apart, cleaned it up and lubed it, adjusted it, improved some finishes and fit. I didn't like the orange/red cracked paint.

 I have no idea how old it really is. The owner must have told me, but I don't remember and information on this mill is almost completely absent. But being it is still a mill in like new condition, I guess that doesn't matter.

 It uses 2MT. Is 3/4 HP. 2 Belt, 12 speed, 1/2" milling, 1.5" face milling. Speeds- 3,950- 390 rpm.
 Runs very quiet and smooth. I have collets and a vise on the way.

 Any other info or opinions are welcome. Don't worry, I know it isn't a best brand.


----------



## brino

Hi Walter,

Welcome to the site!

Good score!  Even if you only ever use it as a drill press it's worth that!
That should be a useful new tool. The table you have it on looks pretty strong, you might consider bolting it down.
It's likely someone here has some info, I bet it was sold under many different names......

When I first saw it I thought "I would not have considered blue and orange". I was thinking about black, maybe grey,.......but you know what, that's not bad.....it kinda brings attention to all the controls.

-brino


----------



## Ulma Doctor

excellent deal!
most of the mill/drills were made in china, if you are lucky yours was made in taiwan-
 yes, there is a huge difference. 
the taiwanese made equipment is superior in both materials used and workmanship of the finished product, not to be without flaw but wayy better made IMHO.
The hardest problem to overcome with the round column mills is tramming the head, but it's not difficult to manufacture a fixture to do just that easily.

if you are interested i can show you a simple and cheap method of doing the tram job, repeatedly, using a fixture you can make yourself with your milling machine .

you'll have many years of fun with the mill, learning it's operation is half of the fun!


----------



## WalterC

It is indeed made in Cheena- it's hard to say that sometimes.

 The color was brighter than what was on the can, but it will have to do and frankly I'm getting used to it.  The orange is the plastic cover and I decided painting it wouldn't last and would just look worse as it chipped off.

 I was surprised to see ball bearings used on the X and Y  lead screws.

  Thanks for the replies. I'm glad you mentioned tramming the head, I haven't checked that yet. Any help with that would be appreciated! I do have a dial indicator with the base,  analog and digital calipers and micrometers.


----------



## Andre

That looks more like a drill press with a positioning table than a milling machine, however using small cutters (less cutting force) in the chuck should be just fine if you keep your cuts small. 

Great job with the new paint and cleanup!


----------



## TakeDeadAim

These were indeed made in china, sort of on the lines of and made in the same factory as the Harbor Freight and other round collum machines.  I would put anything near a 1.5" face mill or .5" end mill, especially in the chuck.  I might suggest something like an ER20 collet holder like this one; http://www.shars.com/mt2-er20-er-collet-holder if you want to hold end mills and not snap the teeth off them.    Looks like a great find and you should get some great use out of it.


----------



## mattthemuppet2

neat find! can't complain for $100   i love the Castrol racing colors too..


----------



## GA Gyro

WalterC said:


> Sometimes you just run into a deal you can't pass up.
> This mill was sitting in a garage in the corner with cobwebs over it so I had to ask about it. The owner said he bought it new many years ago to make parts for his motorcycles, but after finding out how much the tooling would cost he just forgot about it, drilled a few holes with it for a while then used his regular drill press instead.
> I noticed it still was caked with the dried out packing grease and there was some staining but it didn't look like rust. He said; "Give me 100 bucks and it's yours".  I did.
> 
> Model# DTMACH 34/03989.  Speedway Series.  No Serial# as far as I know.
> 
> As with any new machine, I took it apart, cleaned it up and lubed it, adjusted it, improved some finishes and fit. I didn't like the orange/red cracked paint.
> 
> I have no idea how old it really is. The owner must have told me, but I don't remember and information on this mill is almost completely absent. But being it is still a mill in like new condition, I guess that doesn't matter.
> 
> It uses 2MT. Is 3/4 HP. 2 Belt, 12 speed, 1/2" milling, 1.5" face milling. Speeds- 3,950- 390 rpm.
> Runs very quiet and smooth. I have collets and a vise on the way.
> 
> Any other info or opinions are welcome. Don't worry, I know it isn't a best brand.



Hey WalterC...
Do I know you at another forum... not machinist related... >grin>


----------



## WalterC

GA Gyro said:


> Hey WalterC...
> Do I know you at another forum... not machinist related... >grin>




 You just might sir- you just might.  Your typing looks very familiar.


----------



## GA Gyro

WalterC said:


> You just might sir- you just might.  Your typing looks very familiar.



Welcome to the forum WalterC!

For the others... GA knows WalterC from another forum, suggested this forum from a conversation about machines on the other forum.

Glad you made it over... browse around and make yourself at home!

GA


----------



## WalterC

GA Gyro said:


> Welcome to the forum WalterC!
> 
> For the others... GA knows WalterC from another forum, suggested this forum from a conversation about machines on the other forum.
> 
> Glad you made it over... browse around and make yourself at home!
> 
> GA





 Thanks GA. I have spent a lot of time reading and listening. It is a fascinating subject.


----------



## bearbon

I have the same drill press made in Taiwan and I've been very happy with it. Very smooth running and tight. However, I was under the impression that you couldn't mill with a morse taper type quill without some kind of drawbar to hold it in the quill. I didn't see anyone mention this. Wouldn't the side load of milling dislodge the MT shank?


----------



## P T Schram

To answer Bourbon, if one has the tapered collets that mate to the machine and the appropriate drawbar, yes, you can mill with that machine-no, you can't mill with a "Jacobs" style chuck.

The local Harbor-Freight-esque store had one in a corner on the floor with a bunch of missing parts. Just as the old boy that owned the store was nearing selling it to me for $250 (it was marked $800 or some such) he died from brain cancer.

Homier used to be based out of a town about an hour from here and they had many of those in all sizes, etc. Yeah, I lusted after one.

I think it would make a fantastic fairly precise drill press and if one was realistic in their expectations, it would make a fine milling machine.

Be careful though. It wasn't that long ago I got my first piece of machinery and now I'm in a position where a friend visited Sunday evening and asked me in which direction was I going to expand my shop-LOL! I had to turn down a piece of machinery due to space considerations


----------



## WalterC

bearbon said:


> I have the same drill press made in Taiwan and I've been very happy with it. Very smooth running and tight. However, I was under the impression that you couldn't mill with a morse taper type quill without some kind of drawbar to hold it in the quill. I didn't see anyone mention this. Wouldn't the side load of milling dislodge the MT shank?




  There is a draw bar on this one. In fact, I had to make another one (3/8- 16) since the collets I ordered come with that size. The original is metric.

 Not being able to find the length I needed, I had to make one.


----------



## joesmith

Homer sold two sizes of the drill mill.  The larger one appeared to be similar to HF and others except that it took Morse 3 collets.

The smaller one was in the 250# range.  I looked at one at the San Antonio show and thought it too small for my needs. 

whichever you made a good buy.  If it weighs over 500# you made a great buy.


----------



## P T Schram

If it makes chips, it's a good buy!


----------



## kglesq

For $100 that's a steal.  Gulf Oil colors were an excellent choice for the repaint .


----------



## Dragonheart

I recently acquired the same Drill/Mill so you information that it has a 2MT is a help.  I had one broken plastic wheel handle, I found metal M10-25 replacements on Ebay for under $8 shipped.


----------



## USNFC

I thought of the Gulf Oil colors when I saw it too!  I was thinking of a different car type though!  Great find, can't beat that for the price.


----------



## WalterC

The mill had a habit of loose bolts at the column base. Deforming the bolts with a hammer in the right place and re-installing them fixed it for me. A primitive but effective fix.
 I don't use it much for a drill press, so I am only using one of the handles that doesn't get in the way when cutting certain depths.

  My old shop was drab enough and when painting the lathe, I had enough paint left over to do the same to it. For some reason though, it is hard to match the grey color for aesthetics. 

 Before and after;


----------



## mattthemuppet2

kglesq said:


> Gulf Oil colors



doh! that's what I was thinking of. The shame, the shame


----------



## Dragonheart

I much prefer the after, it adds a touch of class.


----------



## markba633csi

Interesting lathe- what make is it?
Mark S.
Mt. View, Ca


----------



## Bill C.

Andre said:


> That looks more like a drill press with a positioning table than a milling machine, however using small cutters (less cutting force) in the chuck should be just fine if you keep your cuts small.
> 
> Great job with the new paint and cleanup!



I tend to agree it looks more like a fancy drill press.  Also the power switch is not reversible.  I do like it though. Put a light mill vise on it and you have a winner.  If it can support a DRO you have one smart drill press.  Nice job cleaning and repainting it.  I hope she serves you well for many years.


----------



## Dragonheart

I recently acquired the same model also, but can't supply much technical information about it and keep hoping someone will come up with a manual or at least some old sales brochure. 

I agree it is a better drill press than mill because the Z axis (Up & Down) does not have a fine adjustment, which is a real shame because my table is right on.  I haven't done much with milling other than some surfacing and as long as you take small bites it did what I needed.  As a drill press it works great, because of the table.  It does have a recessed light that takes a regular bulb and works well to illuminate the work surface. The motor has plenty of power for the size of the machine.  As far as the limited information I can find these Speedway drill/mills were made in  China and distributed here by a company called  Homier Distributing Co.


----------



## hardwarz

Earlier this summer, I dug my mill out of my parent's basement. It's been sitting there unassembled for over a decade. Here's the information I found on it.

*Drill/Mill Machine*
Speedway Series (Homier)
_
Model:_
DTMACH 34-03989

_Motor:_
3/4 HP, 56 frame, 10.6 A

_Lever handles:_
M12 x 1.75 mm

_Revolving Handles:_
M10 x 1.5 mm

_Taper:_
MT2 taper

_Included Stock Arbor:_
MT2 taper to B18 with M10 drawbar thread

_Included Stock Drawbar:_
M10 x 1.50 mm x 275 mm

_Replacement Imperial Drawbar:_
3/8"-16 x 10-3/4"

_Speed:_
390-480-600-780-960-1080-1620-1750-2150-2280-3259-3950

_Max. Drilling Capacity:_
5/8" (16 mm)

_Max. Diameter of Vertical Milling:_
1/2" (12 mm)

_Max. Width of Face Milling:_
1-1/2" (40 mm)

_Table slots:_
7/16"

_Table movement:_
9-3/4" x 4-3/8"


----------



## WalterC

hardwarz said:


> Earlier this summer, I dug my mill out of my parent's basement. It's been sitting there unassembled for over a decade. Here's the information I found on it.
> 
> *Drill/Mill Machine*
> Speedway Series (Homier)
> _
> Model:_
> DTMACH 34-03989
> 
> _Motor:_
> 3/4 HP, 56 frame, 10.6 A
> 
> _Lever handles:_
> M12 x 1.75 mm
> 
> _Revolving Handles:_
> M10 x 1.5 mm
> 
> _Taper:_
> MT2 taper
> 
> _Included Stock Arbor:_
> MT2 taper to B18 with M10 drawbar thread
> 
> _Included Stock Drawbar:_
> M10 x 1.50 mm x 275 mm
> 
> _Replacement Imperial Drawbar:_
> 3/8"-16 x 10-3/4"
> 
> _Speed:_
> 390-480-600-780-960-1080-1620-1750-2150-2280-3259-3950
> 
> _Max. Drilling Capacity:_
> 5/8" (16 mm)
> 
> _Max. Diameter of Vertical Milling:_
> 1/2" (12 mm)
> 
> _Max. Width of Face Milling:_
> 1-1/2" (40 mm)
> 
> _Table slots:_
> 7/16"
> 
> _Table movement:_
> 9-3/4" x 4-3/8"




 Thanks for the info.
 The mill works very well. I commonly use it on small parts and have good luck with the 3/8 bit and smaller. I found some loose places in it, got those tightened up and it does cut very well. It will handle deeper cuts than one would imagine and never shows signs of straining. 
  I haven't used it as a drill press- I have two already that are still tight and accurate.


----------



## djcnoteeastli

Hi everyone.  I came across this site while trying to find some info about the Speedway Mini Mill/Drill.  If you can believe it I picked one up from a guy who had it sitting in his garage for years, still in the box, unopened.  He only wanted $80 so it was too good to pass up.  I saw someone asked about the manual, mine actually came with the manual so I scanned it.  I'll upload the PDF.

I'm primarily a hobby woodworker and a total newbie when it comes to machining so go easy on me.  Some light hobby gunsmithing is about the extent of my metalworking experience.  That said, does anyone know where I can find a collet or an end mill holder for this thing?  Or is my best bet to replace the drawbar with a 3/8"-16 x 10-3/4"?  Any help is appreciated.

Chris


----------



## djcnoteeastli

I just mounted an old drill press vise on it to play around with it a little.  Haven't had too much time to really do any work with it just yet.  Just put it together the other night but like I said it's brand new out of the box.  I'll upload a picture.  Nothing appears to be wrong with it except for a broken knob which I can easily fix or replace.


----------



## WalterC

I still have mine and I have milled quite a bit on it. I had to make the drawbar and bought the collets for it. If you go over a 3/8" end mill, take it easy- I learned quickly what happens when your stock jams in the bit- thank goodness it was aluminum.   A good machine to learn mistakes on.
   I have milled all types of metals and stock with no problems- it is slower of course than a heavier machine and it has limits, but it holds tight and gets the job done.
 Get a set of collets for it and a drawbar and end mills and have fun.

 I like that color better than the orange. 


I added a light. When you lower it using an end mill, the whole machine becomes more stable- a cheap vise works ok for the smaller work. You might add a cover for the rear to keep chips out of the threaded rods.

 I'm still looking patiently for a bigger machine I can afford.


----------



## djcnoteeastli

I actually found a 3/8"-16 x 10-3/4" drawbar at www.littlemachineshop.com that looks like it might fit.  Unfortunately I don't have a lathe so I can't turn my own.  It was only $18 so if it doesn't work it's not the end of the world.  Good suggestion about the rear cover to keep the chips out, I'll put that on my to do list for the weekend.  Which collets did you wind up using?  I saw somebody suggest ER20 with MT2 taper.  I did see a few on Amazon that seemed to fit the M10 drawbar, just curious what you're using on the 3/8"?


----------



## WalterC

I'm using ms2 (mt2) collets. They work well in this drill/mill. 
 Not sure what the ms is compared to mt.  
 The ER collets takes the adapter and makes changing bits faster/easier, but cost a lot more.
Example; http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1752


----------



## grayeagle57

WalterC said:


> Sometimes you just run into a deal you can't pass up.
> This mill was sitting in a garage in the corner with cobwebs over it so I had to ask about it. The owner said he bought it new many years ago to make parts for his motorcycles, but after finding out how much the tooling would cost he just forgot about it, drilled a few holes with it for a while then used his regular drill press instead.
> I noticed it still was caked with the dried out packing grease and there was some staining but it didn't look like rust. He said; "Give me 100 bucks and it's yours".  I did.
> 
> Model# DTMACH 34/03989.  Speedway Series.  No Serial# as far as I know.
> 
> As with any new machine, I took it apart, cleaned it up and lubed it, adjusted it, improved some finishes and fit. I didn't like the orange/red cracked paint.
> 
> I have no idea how old it really is. The owner must have told me, but I don't remember and information on this mill is almost completely absent. But being it is still a mill in like new condition, I guess that doesn't matter.
> 
> It uses 2MT. Is 3/4 HP. 2 Belt, 12 speed, 1/2" milling, 1.5" face milling. Speeds- 3,950- 390 rpm.
> Runs very quiet and smooth. I have collets and a vise on the way.
> 
> Any other info or opinions are welcome. Don't worry, I know it isn't a best brand.
> 
> 
> View attachment 184824
> 
> View attachment 184825
> 
> View attachment 184826


Anybody know if you can replace the chuck with a collet? If so how do you remove the chuck. I remove the bolt that holds it but have had no success removing the chuck.


----------



## tweinke

I will assume if it is MT2 then if you extend the quill down there will be a slot in the side that you can put a wedge in to pop the drill chuck or whatever is in the quill. The bolt ( drawbar ) is there to positively retain the tool in the quill, it is needed in a milling type situation.


----------



## grayeagle57

tweinke said:


> I will assume if it is MT2 then if you extend the quill down there will be a slot in the side that you can put a wedge in to pop the drill chuck or whatever is in the quill. The bolt ( drawbar ) is there to positively retain the tool in the quill, it is needed in a milling type situation.


Thank you. Its not an MT2. But I will look at that nonetheless .


----------



## brino

Those slots for wedges are common on drill-press spindels, but less common on mills.
Some mills require you to leave the draw-bar threads engaged, but slack and tap the end of the draw bar with a mallet.
That pushes out the collet.
Most of my draw-bars are plain all-thread, so I use a long coupler nut on the top end to avoid damaging the threads.

-brino


----------



## jpackard56

The PDF manual in post #27 or 28 shows both a wedge and drawbar. Either way  between brino and tweinke suggestions  you should succeed if you have one of these speedway units.
don't give up !


----------

