General 260 lathe speed control issues

[Anthony Smaldone]

Hi everyone,
Im in the process of building my shop after a loooong hiatus from woodworking (8 yrs). Got my old machines all in place in my basement and just finnished the wiring.
Now to the problem. All the machines started right up with out a hitch, except for the Lathe. After tinkering I got the lathe up and running (on/off switch seemed to not be making contact) Now I find that I cannot change speeds. The lathe has a mechanical speed control. When I try to turn the speed handle, there is resistance and the gear ultimatly lets loose and strips. Is there something im forgetting after 8 yrs? Didnt try it while it was running (was afraid to) but think that may be what im forgetting...lol
Thanks
Anthony

[Bryan Cowing]

Lathe has to be running to change speeds, and there is a grease nipple on the lower shaft a lot don't know about. To grease it, I move the speed lever till the grease nipple comes into view in the hole on the left end of the cabinet. Because the split pulley moves narrow to wide to change speeds, grease it once in a while.