For this assignment I planned to stick with the generic design provided:

I started off with the other half of the firewood block I’d used for the first lathe cut (the one on the right):

I first cut the block into a cylinder with a diameter matching the max width of the piece (1 1/4″). Then I penciled off the various parts and cut:

Finished lathe cut:

The ends cut off using the band saw:

At this point I realized I should have drilled the required screw and bar holes before finishing on the lathe, so instead I’d have to use the drill press. I was initially going to mount the piece for drilling like so:

But the wood was very soft, so in order to clamp it tight enough to keep it in place I’d end up compressing it and drilling an oblong ellipse. So instead I used the v-block with some cardboard support underneath:

I eyed the position of the screw holes and drilled them the same way:

After this I shaped the “kicker” at the sanding belt:

And finally sanded the whole piece: