Several years ago the lift handle snapped when I was raising the drill press table. I had a heavy vice on the table at the time. The original handle was made of mostly plastic and couldn't take the cranking force. Before it broke, I thought that it was a die cast metal part, but I was wrong.

While this happened to a mid-90s Craftsman 15-inch drill press, I believe that other brands (i.e. some Delta models) use the same plastic crank handle. Perhaps the fix offered below will be useful for a range of similar drill presses.

The broken handle...





Looking around on the internet, this looked to be a common problem for several drill press brands. Replacement parts were plastic too, so they would eventually suffer the same fate. I began to look for other options.

I settled on a 6" aluminum wheel crank from industrial supplier McMaster-Carr. The McMaster part number is 6022K38, "Aluminum Unthreaded Through-Hole Spoked Hand Wheel, Dished Wheel with Revolving Handle, 6" Diameter". At the time of this writing (summer 2023) they cost $53.36 each.

The aluminum hand wheel had a smaller 1/2" diameter mounting hole than the 9/16" drill press shaft, but it drilled out easily to fit the Craftsman's 9/16" diameter shaft. I also needed to drill and tap a side hole for a 1/4-28 set-screw for clamping onto the flat milled on the table lift shaft. The aluminum wheel itself was gorgeously made having a cast finish with a machined and polished rim and crank.

To enlarge the bore, I created soft jaws from MDF for a vice to hold the wheel without marring it. I drilled the out the original bore with a 9/16" bit to fit the drill-press shaft. Be sure to measure your own press for proper shaft diameter. Designs and dimensions may vary.

 After the bore was enlarged, the hub was drilled and tapped for 1/4-28  threads for a set screw. The set screw secures the hand wheel to a flat milled on the shaft.

It mounted easily and works like a charm. It looks better too!

Note that the photo above makes it appear that the hand wheel is proud of the table surface. That's an illusion. Being slightly smaller diameter than the throw of the original plastic crank, it also sits slightly below the surface of the cast-iron table and is located comfortably behind it.

BTW, a replacement plastic crank was $30 online, but this aluminum wheel with crank was a little over $50. It's well worth the extra money for the peace of mind.
 

Here are additional views of the replaced handle. In a couple of these photos, I purposely slid my secondary table back far enough to contact the press' center column. I wouldn't normally work this way, but wanted to show finger clearance.

As mentioned before, there's MORE clearance than with the stock plastic crank. The original had a 3-1/4" center-to-center crank throw, and this wheel's crank is less than 3" throw. The wheel OD itself is 6", which is a 3" radius, with the crank-handle's center inside that.



Another view showing the secondary table, pressed back touching the column, and how the crank can still be used to raise or lower. It's getting tight, but it's still very usable even in this unusual configuration.

 

BTW, just a note of caution. These measurements were for my older Craftsman 15" drill press, so things like the 9/16" bore for the wheel and the hand clearance could be different on another brand or model.