I took a very different -and complex- method, using mirror and boolean modifiers quite several times (thought it was the point of the lecture)
This is how I did proceed:
- add a cube, to the correct size in order to chop the center of the stem (apply boolean difference on stem)
- move this same shaped cube to a side of the stem (flat surface for arm cradle)
- apply a mirror modifier with stem as axis to have the same flat surface on the other side.
- apply a difference boolean modifier between the stem and this mirrored shape -flat chunked surface along y- -aspect…? mainly to match what has been showed in the lecture…-
- rotate this double shaped object by 90° on z around the cursor at 000
- apply difference boolean modifier between stem and mirrored shape -flat chunked surface along x-
- make one arm to acceptable proportions, position it with a very thin gap away from stem
- apply mirror a mirror modifier to this arm through the stem to have it on the other side as well.
- rotate 30° around virtual pivot through stem
