When I had similar problems on my Jet, the customer service guy told me to
set the lathe on low speed, then use WD40 (with the little straw attached to
the spray tip) and spray the shaft that I could see through the slots on the
motor pulley. Then run the lathe and run through the speeds a couple of
times. Warning--the lathe will throw off some WD40 while you do that.

Then shift to the highest speed you can, and do the same thing with the
lathe headstock shaft. Repeat the running and speed shifting process.

It fixed the problem, and I've had to repeat it every once in a while when
things start slipping.

If you look at how the speed changer operates, you will see how the only
thing that keeps the belt tight is the spring that pushes the two halves of
the pulleys together.

Good Luck

Old Guy



"Tom Huntress" wrote in message
. ..
Ok, I know it may not have been the smartest thing, but I have a central
machines (harbor freights) 3/4 hp lathe. I've enjoyed learning on it, but
now I have a little trouble, or at least I hope it's little. My lathe
won't run on the higher speeds. The lathe uses a lever to change speeds,
and when I try fast speeds, lever won't go and the belt stops turning.
Can I solve this trouble by getting a new belt? If so, I might have a new
problem. My wife bought me the lathe, and I have no documentation with
it. I might be able to figure out the size, but I'm not sure how to take
it off or replace it. If anyone could give me advice, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks,

Tom