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