CRANK HANDLES & WHEELS

[Cal Haines]

I would probably open it up to at least 5/8", depending on how close that puts you to the rim of the hand-wheel. Plunging in with an endmill is a good way to straighten the hole. Ideally it should then be drilled and reamed to bring it to the nominal size of your sleeve. If you don't have the right size reamer, you can make a "D-bit" reamer (link).

You may not be able to use your boring head with an unmodified 3/8" boring bar to bore a 1/2" hole, because the end of the boring bar likely doesn't have enough clearance to work. You may have to grind more clearance on the bar or make up a custom tool from a round HSS tool blank (or an old endmill).

Make the sleeve 0.0001 to 0.0005" larger than the finished hole. You can also drill and ream the existing hole to get a nice round hole, without trying to straighten it, and press in a solid plug. Then you just drill a new, straight hole in the plug. Another option is to make the sleeve/plug 0.002" smaller than the hole and use Locktite 609 to bond the bushing to the handwheel.

Is the existing crank handle held on with a nut? I think that the handwheel is usually tapped and the handle is screwed directly into the handwheel.

 

[BROCKWOOD]

Cal, I really appreciate the time you spend in taking an interest in other's predicaments & offering solutions! The existing crank handle was held on with a nut. This was nonstock, bent, rigid & ugly. I ordered up a handle that would fit the existing hole (again nonstock) & return the 'spin' feature to the handle (not rigid). I threaded the existing hole to 1/2 - 13, screwed the handle home & here we are. With help from friends, the rotary table is now on my lathe / mill combo - in place of the heavy vise. I'll chuck the wheel up n get a straight hole before I switch over to the compound / tool holder setup. Kinda neat lining up job steps for the vise or rotary table or compound / tool holder. Planning ahead is always a good well .... plan!

 

[BROCKWOOD]

But wait: There are other handle sizes to consider!

I recently got in a wheel & a handle. 8" wheel:



Handle:



Sold the wheel. Although 8" is correct for my 24, I prefer the 10".
Now this longer handle might also prove to be a fortuitous upgrade. Only time will tell.

 

[pjb]

my handle collection, in need of cleanup:

 

[BROCKWOOD]

pjb, thanks for sharing. What size or model is yours? That handle 2nd from bottom! Is that to bring the ram in & out (5/8" square hole)?



Those are neat! I haven't come across 1 that is available yet. I like my ratchet & 8 point socket there - for now.

My friend had asked me a while back to be on the lookout for a handle, as his was missing one. So I found 1 & it wasn't what he needed. Now, to my thinking, handles (& wheels) turn & turn some more to advance a motion, in a given direction, manually. No, what he needs is a lever. True that lever's handle is the broken part that he needs replaced. English is a funny language LOL