Hey, David! I know you and your wife would find this stuff to be fun to do and it’s really not difficult. These tiles/coasters are about the only thing I do that yields anything close to a “finished product” right off the tool. I simply hate, and refuse to do, all the painting, sanding, and finishing most other projects require.
Mirrors are actually pretty simple. You don’t even need the black paint… you simply laser the backside of the mirror and it does the same thing. You just have to remember to mirror the image (since you’re working on the backside) and use a negative image (the lightest areas are where the laser hits glass). There’s some great mirrors in this thread…
Funny you should mention wine glasses and rotary stuff. That’s where I’m headed next, I think. I’ve got a couple of roller type attachments but just never felt energetic enough to mess with them… they’re pretty kludgey for anything not perfectly cylindrical. But I finally found one I like and ordered it… it’s not cheap but far more versatile than any other I’ve seen…
Note that it includes a tiny chuck (much like the one on your lathe) that really makes it stand out in the crowd. Here a great video showing it in action…
I hope to get mine up and running in the next few days. Enjoy!
– David