I made two scratching posts out of 4 X 4s and sisal rope by winding the rope around the posts after putting the posts on a plywood foot. I have had them for about 10 years now. They have been rewound only once. The cats have nice sharp claws and a good place to get a good stretch.

I did once from scraped cardboards boxes, reinforced with some plastic. But they get bored quite rapidly of having them around. So I throw them out. Cats are very intelligent but get bored quickly of their toys or places to sleep.

Hm, I'll probably give it a try. Would definitely outlast the Chinese crap they sell in stores.

I couldn't find a better photo but we bought the little cubby for cheap or got it used and stuck it on the end of this 4x4. Our plan was to add more perches up the length of the 4x4 but never did. The cat didn't mind going all the way to the top.