I own an older 12" x 30" craftsman lathe model 101.07403. The handle on
my crosslide crank came off the other day. I noticed that I can
purchase just the handle, or the crank and handle assembly, and I'm not
sure what exaclty I need. (Sears has them available for purchase on
their website. $13.00 for the handle and $60.00 for the asssembly).

The handle just slips on and off now. I am not sure how they are
normally attached, and stay on the crank. The crank just has a blind
hole in it.

What should I look for to know if my handle is broken, or if the crank
is bad. And how would I remove a handle that is currently installed on
a crank. I have a couple of handles that do not spin anymore that
could use a good cleaning.

I could possible drill a small hole in the back of the crank and drill
and tap the center of the handle and run a screw to hold it in place.
But if I can just replace the handle then that's what I would do.

Thanks.