+sdmcustom woodworking Thank you, Steve. I don't want to spend ALL my mind tweaking my tools, but at the same time, it's a great skill to develop, to be able to work around limits.
If you're just doing spindle turning (between centers), and the pieces are the same length as the lathe bed, then you could have a rest that is full-length. The concern with that, though, is that the further from the post you get the tool, the more chatter you're likely to get. I have seen some production turners use a setup with two banjos, and a tool rest with two posts to deal with that problem. This would be an efficient way of turning out long spindle parts because you wouldn't have to constantly readjust your tool rest. For shorter spindle work, there is a good chance that a long toolrest would interfere with the tailstock. For bowls and platters, it might be hard to reach all areas of workpiece, depending on the shape. I think it's kind of inevitable to end up with multiple tool rests to accommodate a variety of workpieces.
