Being both a yankee and a woodworker I pride myself in finding the cheapest wood possible. While at HQ I found 4x4x8 clear red cedar posts for $20. After quartering and ripping into strips I ended up with 48 strips per post. If your selective you can get some real tight growth rings. Mine ranged from 9 to 23 lines per 3/4" width. Another cheap source is Tweedie Lumber in Maine. He deals in white cedar only.