"Ignoramus20962" wrote in
message ...
I apologize for making this ignorant post.

I need some brushing up on keeping things properly centered in a
lathe.

There are, really, two methods for keeping long rods centered. One
is
making sure that both ends are supported, and another is making sure
that the middle is supported. The "dogs" are for supporting the
middle.

I would like a short primer on what are the tools called that
support
the end near tailstock, and also, how to use dogs.

I have a dog, which I have ont tried, and some piece that goes into
tailstock and is conical on the other end. I am a little confused
that
it is not free spinning. How can it, then, be used to support the
other side? Wouldn't it be exposed to constant wear?

i


I guess you're talking about live/dead centers for the tailstock, and
steady/follower rests. There is an excellent chapter on lathe
fundamentals authored by the US Army at the Metal Web News. I'd post a
link but the site is not working for me right now...