Furnaces are one of the most useful objects in Minecraft. If possible, before nightfall you should try to build a furnace the first time you play the game. By having a furnace, you are ready to start mining for iron.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making a Furnace
Step 1. Open your crafting table
Right-click the crafting table. If you don't already have a crafting table, see the instructions for beginners below.
Press the X or square button if you are using the console version of Minecraft
Step 2. Place eight cobblestones in the crafting area
Drag eight cobblestone blocks into the area. Fill in all the boxes except the one in the middle, which should be left blank.
If you're using a mobile or console device, choose the Furnace recipe under the Structures tab. You still need eight cobblestones
Step 3. Drag the furnace into the quick slot
In the crafting area, a furnace will appear. Drag the furnace into one of the quick slots at the bottom of the screen.
Step 4. Place the furnace on the ground
Select the furnace and then right-click the soil you want to place it on. There will appear a gray furnace that is one block in size.
Place objects using the left directional key or L2 if you're using the console edition of Minecraft
Step 5. Right click if you want to use the furnace
For detailed information on how to use the furnace, see below.
Method 2 of 3: Starting from Zero
Step 1. Break the tree to get wood
Click and hold the tree trunk to break the tree into wood.
Step 2. Turn the wood into planks
Open the inventory and drag the wood into the crafting area. You will get a board in the crafted box. Drag the board to your inventory.
The crafting area is a 2x2-dimensional square next to your character's image
Step 3. Create a craft table
To make a crafting table, insert boards into all the slots (four slots) in the crafting area of your inventory. As with the previous method, drag the crafting table into your inventory to complete the recipe.
If you are using Minecraft Pocket Edition, just select the object you want from the list. The results will appear in your inventory as long as you have the items you need
Step 4. Place the crafting table on the ground
Place the crafting table into one of the quick slots at the bottom of the screen. Click to pick it up, then right-click the ground you want to place the table on. From now on, you'll be doing almost any crafting task by right-clicking on the crafting table. You will be given a room with 3x3 dimensions, not a 2x2 space like the one in your inventory.
- If you're using Pocket Edition, tap the object in the quick slot, then tap the ground you want to place it on.
- If you're using a console edition, use the D-pad or the directional buttons to switch between the quick slots (depending on the console you're using). Place the object using the left directional key or L2.
Step 5. Turn more boards into sticks
Break more trees to get wood and more wood to make planks if necessary. Place one board on top of the second in the crafting area. Drag the resulting stick to the inventory.
Step 6. Make a pickaxe
Here's how to make a pickaxe:
- Open your crafting table by right-clicking.
- Place one stick in the center square, and the second stick just below it.
- Lay three boards along the top row.
- Drag the pickaxe generated from the crafted area into the quick slot.
Step 7. Mine the cobblestone
Click the pickaxe in the quick slot to pick it up. Look for rocks (grey blocks) on mountain slopes or dig a little further down. Click and hold the stone you get to turn it into a cobblestone.
Step 8. Place the eight cobblestones on the crafting table
Leave the center empty but fill the other eight slots on the crafting table. The cobblestone will turn into a furnace.
Step 9. Place the furnace where you want it
Place the furnace on the ground as you would with a crafting table.
Method 3 of 3: Furnace Melting
Step 1. Open your furnace
After placing it where you want it, right-click the furnace to open an interface similar to a crafting table.
Step 2. Enter the object you want to melt into the box at the top
The furnace has two boxes for placing items. Start by placing the item you want to change in the top slot. Here are some examples of smelting you can do:
- Iron ore will turn into iron bars
- The sand will turn to glass
- Raw food will turn into cooked food
- Clay will turn into bricks
- Wood will turn to charcoal
- Cobblestones will turn into smooth stones
Step 3. Give fuel
The furnace won't work until you give it fuel to heat it up. This applies to the second slot. You can actually use anything that is flammable, but some of the more common options are:
- Coal is the easiest and most efficient option.
- Wood is easier to find, but burns out quickly.
- As a middle ground, you can place wood in the top slot to make charcoal, then use the charcoal as fuel in the bottom slot.
Step 4. Wait for it to finish
When in operation, the furnace will consume fuel, but the furnace will still perform its function of changing the things you put in the top slot as long as you keep adding fuel. The products produced by the furnace will appear in the box on the right.
When in operation, the furnace will display a small animation in the form of a fire. If the furnace stops running, it means that the fuel has run out or the smelting has indeed been completed
Tips
- It's a good idea to have several furnaces at the same time, so you can melt things quickly. Furnaces can be placed stacked on top of other stoves and still be used. If you wish, you can make walls made of stoves.
- You can combine a mining cart with a furnace to produce a single item. Like a mining cart, this object can be placed on a rail, but this cart will run on its own as long as the fuel in the furnace is filled.
- Use a pickaxe to break up a furnace or crafting table. Take the small floating objects that appear and put them in your inventory for later use.
- Furnaces can be obtained by stealing them from the blacksmith shop in the village, or from the igloo house (for Minecraft 1.9+). Since furnaces are so easy to make, you don't have to go through a lot of hunting to get them.
