Minecraft Grindstone: how to make a Minecraft Grindstone

Minecraft Grindstone - a grindstone sitting in front of a river and flowing lava — (Image credit: Mojang)

What is a Minecraft Grindstone? If you often find yourself at a loss when it comes to Minecraft's most important features, you're not alone. Every update brings something fresh and exciting, but keeping abreast of it all can be overwhelming.

The Grindstone in Minecraft is one of the game's newer items, so you might be unfamiliar with it if you've been away from the game awhile. If that's you, the Grindstone is an immensely useful tool that allows you to repair weapons and remove enchantments.

Introducing or refreshing your knowledge on this handy item is exactly what this Minecraft Grindstone guide is for. So, let's catch up on how to make the most of this new bit of kit.

How to craft a Minecraft Grindstone

Minecraft Grindstone - the recipe shown in the crafting grid — (Image credit: Mojang)

Crafting a Grindstone in Minecraft requires two Sticks, two Wooden Planks, and a Stone Slab. All of which are pretty easy to get your hands on. Both the Sticks and Wooden Planks can be obtained by crafting using Wood, which is abundant in all but the harshest of Minecraft seeds.

All you need for the Stone Slab is three pieces of Stone, which will produce six Stone Slabs. If you've not made Stone before, just chuck some pieces of Cobblestone in a Furnace and heat them up. Once you've got all the ingredients, you'll be able to craft the Grindstone.

How to use a Minecraft Grindstone

Minecraft Grindstone - the interface for using the grindstone — (Image credit: Mojang)

Best of Minecraft

Minecraf 1.18 key art — (Image credit: Mojang)

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There are a couple of different uses for the Grindstone. First, you can repair items with it. To do so, put two items of the same type into it and whichever piece you place in the top slot will be repaired by sacrificing the one at the bottom.

You can also remove Minecraft enchantments from an item, though you do this by simply putting the enchanted item in either of the two slots before activating it. This removes all non-curse enchantments and gives you a bit of experience for each one removed. Note that even if you don't want to remove the enchantments from an item, it'll happen anyway. In other words, make sure you look after your items and don't accidentally disenchant your favourite sword or pickaxe.

Using the Grindstone will also remove any prior work penalty the item has accrued. This is the system that makes items more expensive to work on using Anvils, so it's a good way of effectively refreshing the tool into which you put it. The Grindstone is a good way of keeping your items in tip-top shape - it's an essential tool for any budding blacksmith - but you have to keep in mind the potential downside of removing your enchantments.