Making a wand is as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. It must be a naturally fallen stick, or if you do remove it from a tree you must ask permission and then thank the tree you removed it from. I would choose a piece of wood that calls to you, or a wood that has properties that you connect with. The wand should be the length of your forearm, between the tip of your middle finger to the crook of your elbow; this is the perfect length.
Once collected you can then turn the wood...carve the wood...oil the wood. Do what you wish. By engraving symbols and designs that are close to you, you may be able to empower the wand with your own energy. Some people even add crystals onto their wands to give them an extra energy boost.
I shamefully bought my first wand of ebay, but I did not choose it myself, it was pot luck so I believed that what was chosen would be fate. But it is far better to make the wand yourself.
A wand is automatically empowered by your own energy, by using it during each ritual you are putting your energy into it. Do not let other use your wand as it will confuse the energy flow. To charge a wand, I would place it outside over the nights of the full moon, where the light can reach the wand. But I would refrain from putting it out on a rainy or damp night as your wand
may become damaged.
Does a wand have to be directly from a tree? I have wand that I actually got from a Harry potter shop (I know it sounds funny, but it's so pretty and it's collecting dust). Can I use that? It's practically useless to me right now and I hate having useless things cluttering up my room.
Anything can be a wand, or so I've been told. It works better if you make it yourself and if it's natural, like a stick fallen feom a tree, but it's basically a long object that acts as something to concentrate your energy. Correct me if I'm wrong.