Threaded spindle end

Slug

Inserting

Fully threaded

Square hole making.

Square hole

Ratchet

Lathe turning

Target of opportunity. Threaded end looks like a perfect place to attach a hand crank.

Threads in the spindle turned out to be 1.625" major diameter and 16 TPI. This is the drive slug I turned. .25" hole is bored through. I'll enlarge it.

Partially threaded into the spindle.

First step to making a square for a 1/2" socket handle was to drill a size W hole completely through the slug. I then enlarged that hole for .6" inch with a 1/2" dia. bit. Here, I have a W sized centering punch chucked up and am getting the slug clamped in the vise and adjusting things so the X & Y axis are zeroed out on the DRO. I'll then chuck up a .25 diameter end mill, and by moving the mill table to .125 in all four directions, I'll have a hole that's square, except for the fillets in the corners.

I started broaching the hole with a square tool that I rounded the leading corners off, to serve as a pilot. My 3 ton arbor press was able to press the tool in far enough to make a start for the short tool. Not enough oomph from my arbor press to complete the job, so I had to walk out to my storage shed and use the 30 ton hydraulic press. A small dab of Crisco and the large press pushed the square in easily. I cleaned out the sprue left in the corners with a small, sharp chisel and repeated the pressing a few more times, until the ratchet handle fit smoothly.

Here, the ratchet is inserted into the hole and shifted so it turns the spindle the proper direction.

Lathe running @ 140 RPM. Shot @ 1/6th second. Notice a bit of blur on end of handle.