Arch,

When I first learned to turn, in the early forties, there was no such
thing as a live center. That 'thingy' on the tailstock was known as a
dead center.

On my grandfather's homemade lathe, it was the pointed end of a threaded
rod. You drove the dead center into the wood and then backed it out
enough to give it a shot of oil. Something like 30W oil. This seemed to
work quite well.

When I found turning again after about sixty years, I was amazed at the
efficiency of a live center.

I suggest you regress to those old days and use a dead center and an oil
can!

Harry