This paper presents the outcomes and findings of a semester long trans-disciplinary design studio recently taught at RMIT University, involving students from the disciplines of architecture, industrial design and landscape design. The focus of the studio was to investigate the creation and appropriation of tools for innovative design processes. Drawing on craft theory and theories of design and computation, this paper illustrates how tools can transgress disciplinary boundaries and investigates how an understanding of the intricate relationship between tools, techniques, the media they operate in and the design outcome is the premise of a more informed design approach