"caaron" wrote: I thought that was the purpose of the pivoting
headstock--to rotate so that I could accomodate larger bowls. Is that
correct or did I misunderstand the purpose of the pivoting headstock?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No, you did not misunderstand, but you were mislead by the hype. A rotating
head will do that in theory, but for a number of practical reasons it seldom
works out:

1.) The crank-shaped toolrest extension that you need with the head turned
will break as soon as you try to use it. There have been foot injuries from
this.

2.) With the head turned, the tailstock cannot be used to stabilize a
heavy, unbalanced piece. This is IMPORTANT.

3.) The Reeves variable speed drive on the Jet 1236 and the HF clone stalls
easily. This will be especially annoying if you try to turn anything really
large.

However, the 12" swing will permit you to turn bowls that are quite large
enough to be satisfying. The rotating head is useful for working the inside
of bowls with good visibility and minimal leaning. It also helps to get
the tool handle away from the ways and tailstock for more freedom.