A Morse Taper is a tapered spindle used to install tooling on lathes and drill presses. The Morse Tapers on your lathe's headstock feature a hollow housing that is designed to suit a male-ended arbor. The arbor is driven deeper into the housing as it spins, increasing the surface pressure between the two metal pieces. This pressure holds the tool firmly in place while you work. The term "Morse Taper" comes from George H. Morse, who developed this method of holding tools while they are being turned during the late 1800s. Before that time, all tools were held by hand. In modern practice, a toolholder is used instead. It consists of a body with a central hole that fits over the shank of a tool, and has shoulders at either end to hold it in place. Tailstocks are mechanical devices used to support tools at a fixed distance from the axis of the spindle. They usually have an arm attached to a bracket mounted on the headstock that can be lowered to clamp the toolholder to the shaft of the spindle. When the spindle turns, it rotates the tool. Some tailstocks have an integral second arm attached at right angles to the first one for holding a second tool or fixture. Tailstocks come in several designs.