Looks good. Poplars green tint is a pita to deal with. Usually it’s painted. Nice to see a clean stain and grain.

Did the update come out?

If he had bought a sheet and ripped his own slats on a table saw it’d have been cheaper. But then he’d have to have a table saw. Fabrication is mostly front loaded. If you aren’t equipped for it then economies of scale is working against you.