A manual dumb waiter operates by pulling on a rope. They are very much like the one designed and used by Thomas Jefferson in the 1700s. At the top of the manual dumb waiter shaft there is a large pulley, around which the rope is threaded. One or more tracks within the shaft guide the car as it travels up and down so that it doesn’t bang or bind against the shaft walls, and to keep it aligned with the door openings. A counterweight is used to offset the weight of the loaded car and to make operation smoother and easier, and the speed of travel is pretty much dictated by how quickly you wish to pull the rope through the manual dumb waiter.