All aboard the W & W 9 express! Thanks to everyone. You were all absolutely right - I didn't have the thread wrapped a full circle around the tensioner. I think it is counter-clockwise. I go over the top towards the back of the machine, around once and come out the bottom of the tensioner toward the front of the machine. I was still having trouble, although it was getting better. When I got the top tension tight enough, it was so tight that it broke the thread. I read in the directions to put the presser foot down and pull the thread to test the tension and that was helpful.
The bobbin tension seemed too tight and I can't get the adjustment screw to move, so I took out the bobbin and put in another one that had a little thinner thread. I was very careful to follow the instructions about how to install the bobbin. As soon as I did that, it worked fine.
This is the first time I actually got the machine to work right (I had to put on a new belt, too) and oh, my, is it fast! I just have to give the wheel a little turn and the treadle really flies - it's more a question of keeping my foot on it and keeping time rather than actually having to push. It's much faster than the Singer 66 (at least with my limited treadling skills). I have to just about put the brakes on to stop it. When I stop treadling, it keeps going! I can't wait to really sew with it. Here's a picture of its pretty stitching. [ATTACH=CONFIG]457639[/ATTACH]I have one more question. There seems to be a felt or cloth pad between the spring and the tension disks. I picked at it and it seemed solid, so I left it there. Do you know if it belongs there? And if so, should I replace it with a clean piece of felt or leave well enough alone? Thanks again!