How to Make a Grindstone in Minecraft to Repair Your Tools

What You'll Need: Quick Material List

Before you start crafting, gather these materials:

• 2 Sticks
• 2 Wooden Planks (any type)
• 1 Stone Slab

That's it! These simple materials can be gathered within minutes of starting a new world, making the grindstone accessible even for beginners.

Part 1: Gathering Your Materials

Step 1: Obtain Wooden Planks

You'll need at least 8 wooden planks total (2 for the grindstone, 4 for a crafting table if you don't have one, and 2 for sticks). Here's how to get them:

1. Find any tree and punch or chop it down to collect at least 2 logs
2. Open your inventory (E key on PC)
3. Place logs in the 2x2 crafting grid
4. Each log yields 4 planks

Pro Tip: Any wood type works - oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, dark oak, crimson, warped, cherry, or mangrove. You can even mix different wood types in the recipe!

Alternative Sources:

• Break planks found in villages, mineshafts, or shipwrecks
• Loot chests in structures like strongholds or woodland mansions
• Salvage planks from abandoned structures

Step 2: Craft Sticks

Turn some of your planks into sticks:

1. Open your inventory
2. Place 2 wooden planks vertically (one above the other) in the crafting grid
3. This creates 4 sticks (you only need 2)

Alternative Methods:

• Break dead bushes (drops 0-2 sticks)
• Break leaves with a tool (small chance of stick drops)
• Fish (sticks are a possible junk item)
• Defeat witches (they occasionally drop sticks)

Step 3: Create a Crafting Table (If Needed)

If you don't already have a crafting table:

1. Open your inventory
2. Fill all 4 slots of the 2x2 grid with wooden planks
3. Take the crafting table and place it in your world

Step 4: Obtain Stone Blocks

You need 3 stone blocks (not cobblestone) to make stone slabs. Here are your options:

Method 1: Smelting (Most Common)

1. Mine at least 3 cobblestone blocks
2. Build a furnace (8 cobblestone in a square with the center empty)
3. Place cobblestone in the furnace with fuel (coal, wood, etc.)
4. Wait for it to smelt into smooth stone

Method 2: Silk Touch Mining

• If you have a Silk Touch enchanted pickaxe, mine stone directly to get stone blocks instead of cobblestone

Method 3: Looting

• Check village chests for stone blocks
• Look in mason villager houses

Step 5: Craft Stone Slabs

1. Open your crafting table
2. Place 3 stone blocks horizontally in any row
3. This creates 6 stone slabs (you only need 1)

Part 2: Crafting Your Grindstone

Now that you have all materials, it's time to craft the grindstone:

1. Open your crafting table: Right-click on PC, tap on mobile, or press the right trigger on console
2. Place items in the top row:
   • First slot: 1 Stick
   • Middle slot: 1 Stone Slab
   • Third slot: 1 Stick
3. Place items in the middle row:
   • First slot: 1 Wooden Plank
   • Middle slot: Leave empty
   • Third slot: 1 Wooden Plank
4. Leave the bottom row empty
5. Collect your grindstone: It will appear in the result slot on the right

Important: The placement must be exact! The pattern won't work if items are in the wrong positions.

Part 3: Using Your Grindstone

Placing the Grindstone

1. Select the grindstone in your hotbar
2. Look at where you want to place it
3. Right-click (PC), tap (mobile), or press right trigger (console)

Placement Tips:

• Can be placed on the ground, walls, or ceiling
• In Java Edition, doesn't need a supporting block
• In Bedrock Edition, requires support and breaks if placed in water

Function 1: Removing Enchantments

The grindstone can strip enchantments from items, returning some experience:

1. Right-click the grindstone to open its interface
2. Place an enchanted item in either input slot
3. The output shows the item without enchantments
4. Take the item to confirm and receive experience orbs

Important Notes:

• Removes ALL enchantments except curses
• Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing cannot be removed
• Returns experience based on enchantment levels
• Custom names are preserved

Function 2: Repairing Items

Combine two damaged items of the same type:

1. Open the grindstone interface
2. Place two items of the same type in both input slots
3. The output shows a repaired item
4. Take the repaired item

Repair Formula:

• New Durability = Item 1 Durability + Item 2 Durability + 5% of Maximum Durability
• Both items are consumed in the process
• ALL enchantments are removed during repair
• Prior work penalty is reset to zero

Example: Two iron swords at 50% durability each would create one sword at 105% (capped at 100%) durability.

Function 3: Creating Weaponsmith Villagers

Transform unemployed villagers into weaponsmiths:

1. Find a village with unemployed villagers (brown-robed with no profession)
2. Place a grindstone near them
3. The villager will walk to the grindstone and become a weaponsmith
4. Trade with them for weapons and tools

Weaponsmith Trades Include:

• Iron and diamond axes
• Iron and diamond swords
• Enchanted weapons at higher levels
• Bells (master level)

Note: Nitwit villagers (green robes) cannot take professions.

Advanced Tips and Strategies

When to Use a Grindstone vs. Anvil

• Use Grindstone for:
  • Removing unwanted enchantments
  • Repairing non-enchanted items
  • Resetting prior work penalty
  • Quick, free repairs
• Use Anvil for:
  • Preserving enchantments during repair
  • Combining enchantments
  • Renaming items
  • Applying enchanted books

Experience Farming Strategy

Use grindstones to farm experience from unwanted enchanted items:

1. Collect enchanted gear from mob drops, fishing, or raids
2. Disenchant items you don't need
3. Gain experience for future enchanting

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don't repair enchanted items unless you want to lose the enchantments
• Don't expect curse removal - grindstones can't remove curses
• Don't mix materials - you can't repair iron with diamond tools
• Don't forget the 5% bonus - always worth repairing even nearly broken items

Version Differences

Java Edition Specifics

• Can be placed without support blocks
• Works underwater
• Can be oriented in any direction

Bedrock Edition Specifics

• Requires supporting blocks
• Breaks when placed in water
• Must be placed on solid surfaces

Natural Generation

Besides crafting, you can find grindstones naturally in:

• Village Weaponsmith Buildings: Always generates with one grindstone
• Trail Ruins: Can spawn in suspicious gravel (rare)

When found, mine with any pickaxe to collect. Without a pickaxe, the grindstone drops nothing.

Conclusion

The grindstone is an invaluable tool for any Minecraft player. Whether you're managing enchantments, maintaining your gear, or setting up a trading hall, understanding how to craft and use grindstones will significantly improve your gameplay experience. With just a few basic materials, you can create this versatile block that will serve you throughout your entire Minecraft journey.

Remember: grindstones excel at removing enchantments and providing free repairs for non-enchanted items, while anvils are better for preserving and combining enchantments. Keep both in your base for maximum flexibility!

Quick Recipe Reminder:

• Top row: Stick - Stone Slab - Stick
• Middle row: Plank - Empty - Plank
• Bottom row: Empty - Empty - Empty