History Main / AMasterMakesTheirOwnTools

* In [[UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole PC gaming]], custom gaming [=PCs=] are better regarded than off-the-shelf models, and putting together your own PC is something of a rite of passage. Contrary to popular belief, this often works out ''cheaper'' -- or at least better value for money -- than going for a prebuilt, at least if you want really high-end performance: A lot of prebuilt "gaming [=PCs=]" out there have specs that ''sound'' good to the newcomer but will turn out to be underwhelming in practice, or cut corners on any component that isn't mentioned in a game's system requirements, which can come back to bite its proud owner later on. Even the few reputable suppliers of prebuilt gaming rigs tend to charge a rather hefty markup for assembling it to your exact specifications, and unlike pretty much every example in this section putting a PC together is not actually all that hard. Doing so also saves money in the long run, as self-built machines are, by their very nature, far easier to upgrade specific components of, allowing the machine to stay relevant longer.

[[quoteright:1000:[[WesternAnimation/SurfsUp https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/building_a_surfboard.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:''Get off your lazy butt, we're making a board. Come on. It'll be the best board you ever had, I'll tell you that.'']]

* In "The Staff in the Stone" by Creator/GarthNix, the final task for an apprentice to be recognized as a wizard is to enchant their own MagicStaff. The protagonist's lack of a staff puts him at a disadvantage against the antagonist, [[spoiler:at least, until his "staff" is [[IAmNotLeftHanded revealed to have been his prosthetic leg all along]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' spoofs ''Film/TheNatural'' in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E17HomerAtTheBat Homer at the Bat]]" when Homer has a homemade bat he uses to play softball. "Something told me this was a very special, very magical piece of wood...that I could make a bat out of." Once the other members of his team see him hit homer after homer they make their own bats too, out of things such as piano legs and artificial legs.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Technology abounds everywhere, and yet the Jedi are asked to acquire all of the parts for and assemble their own [[LaserBlade lightsaber]] by hand from scavenged parts they find over their travels and are expected to have a personal connection with the crystal specifically. There is a practical point to this, however: The crafting of a lightsaber involves a lengthy Force meditation session, and if performed correctly the result will make the weapon more powerful than its components would normally allow. PlayedWith by the Sith. While they may customize some parts, they use stolen Kyber crystals that they "bleed" by pouring their hatred and pain into them (which also gives them their uniform red color).

* This is how the retired legend Zeke "Big Z" Topanga teaches talented upstart Cody Maverick how to surf the big waves in ''WesternAnimation/SurfsUp''. Zeke tells him to find some koa wood, then plane that stock into a surfboard using a clamshell. Cody's first effort looks horrible and works worse. After more coaching from Zeke, Cody's second effort is much improved.

* Calligraphers like to customize pens, pen holders, & nibs, and many make their own. Which can mean anything from making a fountain pen from a kit and a wood blank, to making a folded nib from scrap metal, to buying whole goose feathers and preparing/shaping them into usable quills.

* While ComicBook/IronMan forging his first power armor with primitive tools [[MemeticMutation IN A CAVE WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS]] does not count, ComicBook/{{Steel}}, one of the Superman types to appear immediately after ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman'' forged his suit of power armor in the very same way - however, he was a techie living in a major city and working out of his basement, and probably could have arranged some better tools than a hammer and anvil.

-->'''Blaire''': Have you already forgotten about the Spirit of the Craftknight?\\
'''Aera''': No, sir...\\
''' Blaire''': You have to make your own weapon! No Craftknight would go into battle with somebody else's sword! It'd be like... wearing their underwear! Yeurgh!

* Some archers today prefer "Primitive" bows, which they make themselves. This is said to be more rewarding and enjoyable than learning with the more predictable manufactured bows.

* In [[UsefulNotes/PCVsConsole PC gaming]], custom gaming [=PCs=] are better regarded than off-the-shelf models, and putting together your own PC is something of a rite of passage. Contrary to popular belief, this often works out ''cheaper'' -or at least better value for money- than going for a prebuilt, at least if you want really high-end performance: A lot of prebuilt "gaming [=PCs=]" out there have specs that ''sound'' good to the newcomer but will turn out to be underwhelming in practice, or cut corners on any component that isn't mentioned in a game's system requirements, which can come back to bite its proud owner later on. Even the few reputable suppliers of prebuilt gaming rigs tend to charge a rather hefty markup for assembling it to your exact specifications, and unlike pretty much every example in this section putting a PC together is not actually all that hard. Doing so also saves money in the long run, as self-built machines are, by their very nature, far easier to upgrade specific components of, allowing the machine to stay relevant longer.

** Digital painters tend to gradually build a collection of self-created brushes, patterns, and vector shapes that suit their particular style, workflow, and technique- one brush may lay down color in a way that "feels right", another may generate a favorite pattern of noise that they use for everything from leaves to clouds, still another might create a "perfect" fog effect, and another may mimic the artist's favorite type of ink pen. One thing beginning digital painters quickly learn is that because brushes are so personal, its rare that a digital brush won't require at least a little tinkering to "fix" before it works well in another artist's hands. In some cases, an artist trying someone else's favorite brush might find themselves completely baffled at how anyone can work with it.