So how, exactly, is that mish-mosh of results supposed to help the OP?

That "mish mosh" was simply an example of what the OP could easily
have found to answer his question in the first place.

Its one thing to bring a serious query to the group after researching
and finding a dearth of information or conflicting information and
quite another to use an OP here to substitute for a little personal
effort and responsibility.

Hell, he could have gone to most any decent Book Store and found three
or nine books on beginning turning and browsed through them while
sipping coffee and deciding if any were worth purchasing.

Then, after buying a basic set of turning tols and experimenting, he
might have formed a question or three worth the efforts of the readers
here.