See, that is where things can get confusing. Some were taught one way and others were taught another way. When I first broke into the trade, I was taught by the "old time" toolmakers. I was always taught that dead was immobile and live was mobile. When speaking of the center itself, a dead center has no movable parts whether it is in a headstock or tailstock. A live center is movable, as one part moves when the other is stationary.
I looked up on Wikipedia, and basically it states the same thing https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Lathe_center
Also if you look in any catalog today, a "Live Center" is a center that has bearings, a "Dead Center" is a solid center.
I looked up on Wikipedia, and basically it states the same thing https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Lathe_center
Also if you look in any catalog today, a "Live Center" is a center that has bearings, a "Dead Center" is a solid center.