http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wand

I made a wooden wand which I intended to use as part of a Halloween costume(dressed as a wizard).
This instructable will show you how to make one yourself.

Step 1: Materials

-wood(I used maple because it's my favourite wood to work with, and it looks good.)
-knife/knives
-saw(not shown, optional)
-sandpaper(optional, if you have a sharp knife and can carve without leaving behind burs, and don't mind the look of knife marks)

Step 2: Collecting Wood

Go find a branch you would like to take from a tree, or a stick off the ground.
Don't take more than you need, and make sure the wood isn't rotten(if it's from the ground)

Step 3: Remove the Bark From the Wood.

peel the bark off right away if you harvested a branch from a tree, and carve it as soon as possible to reduce the amount of cracks in the wood.

If you have a branch or stick that the bark won't peel off of, scrape it off with a knife.

Step 4:

carve the wood into the shape you want.

Step 5: Add Symbols to Your Wand

Add symbols and runes to your wand(if you want to). I used a V-groove to carve them in, a knife would work just as well if you have a steady hand. Here are some Wikipedia pages with information on runes, and other symbols:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Futhark
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_magic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futhorc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Younger_Futhark