W-20 Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I own a vintage Yates American W-20 wood lathe. My trouble is that the variable speed control is apparently broken and the machine only works at one speed. the controls; handle that you;d change the speed does nothing. I'm looking for any suggestion to get it fixed. The lathe was my father's and I would like to get it back to having it work like it's supposed to. Everything else works great. Suggestions, anyone??? Help!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I suggest starting here, to find a parts diagram for your machine: http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=782&tab=3 Or contact Yates directly: https://www.yatesam.com/parts/ Many older lathes use a variable-width pully system, commonly called a Reeves drive, for speed control. Chances are the linkage connecting the handle to the pully has failed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William R Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I have a grizzly and a jet lathe with the variable reeves drive. I have found that on the jet due to lack of use the sliding pulleys get gummy a little lubricant on the shaft fixes that problem. You know you have to shift speed while the machine is running. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted February 27 Report Share Posted February 27 I agree with the suggestions above. Another resource would be to join the AAW forum: aawforum.org, which is very active with woodturners. You might connect with someone who has first hand knowledge of your machine. My very cursory internet search suggests the unit has a Reeves drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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