Bill, you're right about wanting to jump in; probably a little over my head. We had a branch from a Maple tree fall down and I couldn't resist the urge to try a vase; I was turning it end grain. I'll probably use the rest to turn some longer handles
My chiesels are 16" long with a 6" metal chiesel and they are probably more well suited to larger open turned bowls where the rest can moved to the interior more easliy.
My wife got me a 3 DVD set by Richard Raffan a couple of years ago and I've been looking at those quite a bit. I will also be searching for a local mentor to learn from; the nearest AAW association is about 80 miles away, but I'll probably take the time to attend a meeting or two.
Ralph, I'm one that doesn't hesitate to get the right tools for the job and I'm sure I'll expand my "toy box" as I get more experience. I'm on about a 6 to 7 year plan for retirement and will take that time to develop my skills.
Thanks again to everyone for your comments and direction.
Dennis