In a lathe, the tailstock spindle is used to hold the

• A. Live center
• B. Dead center
• C. Collet
• D. Milling arbor

Answer: (A)

The tailstock is meant to support the far end of a workpiece during turning. It uses a center mounted in the tailstock spindle, and the best choice is a live center. The live center has bearings that allow it to rotate with the workpiece, which minimizes friction at the center point, reduces heat, and lets the work turn smoothly at higher speeds. This is exactly what you want when supporting between centers because it keeps the setup stable without binding.

A dead center, by contrast, is fixed and does not rotate with the work. That extra friction and heat can cause wear and chatter, so it’s not the preferred option for typical turning between centers. Collets and milling arbors serve different purposes: collets hold work or tooling tightly in a spindle or holder, and milling arbors are used for milling operations, not for supporting the work at the tailstock during turning.