Abstract: A method and apparatus for practicing hip arthroplasty facilitate the quick and effective positioning of a bone plug of desired size into a femoral medullary canal at a desired depth so that the bone plug acts as a dam for methylmethacrylate cement which holds the prosthesis in place in the femoral medullary canal. One or more elongated rods have enlarged disc-shaped ends of different diameters, with color coding at the ends corresponding to the diameters, are provided. The rods have distance calibrating indicia along the length thereof. A cutting tool having an internal bone-plugging diameter corresponding to the diameter of each of the rod ends is provided, with common color coding on the cutting tool and the corresponding rod end. A common support mounts a resected femoral head holding device (which also guides the cutting tool), and the rods and cutting tools in storage positions, and also can support the rods in positions for use in removing bone plugs from the cutting tools.