wiring help?

[dylanholderman]

hey guys i'm working on getting my old craftsmen machine lathe running again and i hit a road block wiring the motor to the switch.
i can get the motor to run in forward or revers depending on the wires i pair up together, but once i wire it into the switch i can only get it to run forward 


wires from the motor, red+black=forward white+black=reverse


wires from the wall black and white are power, red is the ground.



and the switch.

any help would be appreciated, and would be better then me futzing around by trial and error.

[DC]

First I would use a multi meter to make sure that the switch is making and breaking as it should. I've had switches with bridged contacts that make them do weird stuff.

[Pat B]

Is there a solenoid that would switch forward and reverse?  Testing with a multi-meter DC mentioned would be the first thing to do.

[1442]

If you have two hot wires coming from the wall, that is 220 volts. The motor is 115.
You need to verify how the wire from the wall is wired in the breaker box and reconfigure it to be a 110 circuit. I think!
Like DC said, an ohm meter will determine how and if the switch is functioning and then go from there.
A 115 volt appliance should only have one power wire supplying it and the switch would change where that power is diverted to control forward and reverse functions.

[DC]

It's funny but my experience is Telephone Company which is all direct current. When it gets into AC I start to get confused. I shouldn't but I do.

[Woodely]

I wont argue about the wiring but always thought Green was Ground.

[dylanholderman]

Sorry I was a little misleading the wires from “the wall” are just wired into a standard single phase plug, I’ll get a pic when I get home.

I’m not sure about a solenoid ( electrical stuff is not my strong point) but the switch itself is just what you see in the pics.

I know it did work with a two phase motor where it was originally installed at but I lost the pics I took of how it was wired up.

[dylanholderman]

sorry for being misleading here's the end that gets plugged into the wall.

also any other electrical tools i should pic up when i go out?

[1442]

You have a hot wire, a neutral wire, and the red is being used as the ground wire.
I've got to make a run to the emergency room and if no one has this figgered out when I get back, I will study it and come up with some more questions or a solution, or sumpin.

[1442]

here's a quick and easy plan to get it going 

At the wall plug, swap locations with the red and black wire. This will make the red wire the power wire and will have an eye on the end that hooks to switch.

Hook red wire from wall plug to center terminal on switch.

Hook red wire from motor to top terminal on switch.

Hook white wire from motor to bottom terminal on switch.

Connect black wire from motor to the white wire from the wall plug with a wire nut, This is the neutral wires.

Connect green wire from motor and black wire from wall plug to the ground terminal in the switch. I can't see the ground terminal in the switch and there may not be one. If not, find a place to attach them both to the frame of the machine or  to the switch housing so the machine is grounded.

Plug it into the wall receptacle, flip the switch and test it out in forward and reverse a few times. If it works, you're good to go. The switch should have a detent to hold it centered in the off position.

I don't know if this was the original wiring configuration, but it should work just fine. I can see that a couple of the wires appear to have had a wire nut on them, and I also see what appears to be another wire laying in the tray that has a ring on the end of a black wire but that's all I can see of it and I don't know what its for so I did not include it.

Goodluck wid it!

[dylanholderman]

Ok so I did what you said and it worked! After a fashion.
The switch only works when I put it in one position, motor gets power but doesn’t turn. While it’s like that I can give it a push by hand and it’ll start turning which ever direction I turn it in?
Bad capacitor on the motor maybe?   

[1442]

Good deal
Could be capacitor or brushes worn and dirty.

[dylanholderman]

still a bunch of tuning up and cleaning to do to it but the lathe cuts now  thanks for all your help.

[DC]

I really find mine helpful for straightening arrows. I chuck them up so just about 2-3 inches is showing and then move the dead centre up close. Slow speed. Spin it up and if there is any wobble bend it over by hand until it runs true. Move the centre 2-3", move the arrow out the same and do it again. Do this for the whole arrow. My lathe has a short bed so I do half and then turn it around and do the other half. I can get bamboo arrows almost carbon straight. It sounds tedious but it really doesn't take long. It's also handy for making points and wrapping arrows. I bought mine on a whim almost 40 years ago and I've never regretted it.