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Getting started: your first lumberjack

This walk-through takes about one in-game day. You need:

  • Emerald 3 emeralds, Paper 1 paper and Ink Sac 1 ink sac for the work contract
  • Wooden AxeStone AxeIron AxeGolden AxeDiamond AxeNetherite Axe 1 axe and Oak LogBirch LogSpruce LogDark Oak Log 1 log for the chopping block
  • Wooden AxeStone AxeIron AxeGolden AxeDiamond AxeNetherite Axe 1 more axe for the lumberjack to work with
  • Chest 1 chest
  • Emerald a few more emeralds for the wage
  • Villager an unemployed villager (no profession, not a nitwit, not a baby)
  • Oak Sapling some natural trees nearby

1. Hire the villager

Craft a work contract (paper, ink sac and 3 emeralds, shapeless) and right-click an unemployed adult villager with it. The contract is used up, the villager is now hired. It has no name; give it one with a name tag Name Tag if you want to tell your workers apart.

Crafting
PaperInk SacEmeraldEmeraldEmerald
Work Contract
Work ContractShapeless

A hired villager never takes a vanilla job, so it will not run off to the next lectern.

2. Place a chopping block

Craft a chopping block (an axe above a log) and place it close to the trees. The lumberjack looks for trees within 24 blocks of it.

Crafting
Wooden AxeStone AxeIron AxeGolden AxeDiamond AxeNetherite AxeOak LogBirch LogSpruce LogDark Oak Log
Chopping Block
Chopping Block

3. Let it find the chopping block

A hired villager without a job looks for a free workstation within 48 blocks. It walks to the chopping block and takes the job (green particles). The chopping block's menu now shows it as the worker.

Tip

To pick a specific villager, right-click the chopping block to open its menu and click Assign. The menu closes. Now right-click your hired villager: it becomes the lumberjack of this chopping block.

Place a chest within 16 blocks of the chopping block. In the menu click + Chest, then right-click the chest. Right-click the chopping block again to finish and get back to the menu. Without a chest the lumberjack does not work.

5. Pay your worker

Every worker carries its own wage and tools. Right-click the lumberjack with them (or throw them next to it, it picks them up if the mob_griefing game rule is on):

  • emeralds: one per working day, up to 64
  • an axe: the lumberjack wears it out like a player would
  • optionally saplings: the lumberjack also keeps the saplings from the leaves of the trees it fells

The chopping block menu shows what it carries and for how many days it is paid.

6. Watch it work

During the villagers' work hours (morning to afternoon) the lumberjack takes its wage, walks to a tree, chops it down, replants it and brings the logs to the chest. The chopping block menu shows what it is doing and how many logs it has felled today. After 64 logs it calls it a day.

Game rule

Lumberjacks need the mob_griefing game rule to be on (it is by default). This can be turned off in the configuration.

Next steps