In my experience, the act of creating the wand is a way of building up the magick before the ritual. Having tools is not necessary, but it’s a tool. It can be an especially powerful tool, too, if it helps the magician focus the energy more specifically.
I personally like wands. I have several for different uses. I’ll need to post some photos of my tools at some point, but my favorites are the ones I spent the most time in creating. When made with focus and strong intent, they can certainly add to one’s power during the operation.
But no, not “needed.” Just fun and useful.