How to make a prop katana? What cheap materials can I use?

I'd use EVA foam. Those are the kind of foams used in yoga mats or gym mats and stuff (Y) you can get them at your local homeware and furniture stall (Y) they're about $15-$20 for a pack of 4. Basically just get a strong pipe of stick or something to use as the base of your sword and then cut out the foam pieces into the shape of the sword and glue them together. You can also sand the foam to give it the right shape. If it's for an anime convention or something, they probably won't allow you to bring any weapon props made of metal or wood for safety purposes, so eva foam is your best bet. c:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR4aMuacSmQ

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The inexperienced woodworker and the very experienced person will be able to do these projects without any difficulty https://tr.im/pXoV0

Each and every one of the thousands woodworking plans and projects which are available are so well written so that even if you've never tried Woodworking before, or if you have 2 left hands, you would find woodworking a breeze

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I would use aluminum personally it has a low melting point but if you are looking for cheapest iron is your bet. It's just a bit harder to work with. Here I found some links for you if you choose aluminum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE40ZvEHRyw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIcACBjxlXk