how to use a smithing table in minecraft

A smithing table has two functions in Minecraft, to upgrade gear from diamond to netherite and acts as a jobsite block for the toolsmith. Toolsmiths are useful as they will convert mined items into emeralds as well as provide enchanted diamond axes, pickaxes, and shovels. The smithing table is required to upgrade a tool into netherite which is the highest tier you can achieve in the game.

Smithing Table

Smithing Table

Iron Ingot	Iron Ingot
Wooden Plank (Any)	Wooden Plank (Any)
Wooden Plank (Any)	Wooden Plank (Any)

You can change the orientation of the crafting recipe, so you can complete this recipe on either side.

How to Craft a Smithing Table in Minecraft?

- Two iron ingots

- Four wooden planks

The recipe for a smithing table is relatively cheap. You will need to gather two iron ore and smelt them into ingots and you can mix and match any type of wooden plank to make a smithing table.

After you have obtained your ingredients head to a crafting table and place the two iron ingots at the top, next to each other and the four wooden planks below them in a 2x2 square.

Crafting a smithing table

That's all it takes to make a smithing table in Minecraft.

How to Use a Smithing Table in Minecraft?

If there is an unassigned villager or a villager whose profession has not been locked in you can place a smithing table near them to assign the toolsmith profession to them. This librarian's profession has not been locked in so I can swap it out with the toolsmith profession.

Minecraft Librarian

Break its current job-site block and replace it with a smithing table. After a few moments the villager will flash some green particles and convert its profession.

Minecraft Librarian

Ensure the villager has a bed nearby before attempting this, many villagers will only seek out professions if they have claimed a bed.

To craft diamond gear into netherite you will need a netherite ingot. Gather ancient debris in the nether and smelt them into netherite scraps to make netherite ingots. Ancient debris is difficult to find and the Fortune enchantment will not affect your drop rates at all. You can find ancient debris between layers 8 and 22. It is most commonly found on layer 15.

Ancient Debris in Minecraft

Smelt them in a furnace and combine four netherite scraps with four gold ingots in order to get a netherite ingot.

Crafting netherite ingot in minecraft

To upgrade your diamond gear into netherite take them to a smithing table. Right click the smithing table to open the UI. Place the diamond tool/armor you want to upgrade in the left slot and the netherite ingot in the right slot.

Smithing Table UI

As you can see the helmet keeps its enchantments and becomes a netherite helmet. This offers more defense than a diamond helmet as well as providing you with knockback resistance.

Trivia

Smithing tables can only be used to craft one type of item. It is the only crafting station that has these limitations.

The tools that are on the smithing table are unobtainable in the game.

FAQ

Can a smithing table burn?

Smithing tables are not immune as a dropped item and will be burned up by lava or fire, but once you have placed the smithing table it will not burn to lava or fire.

Can you use a smithing table as fuel?

You can use a smithing table as fuel. It will smelt 1.5 items much like wooden planks. Smithing tables are not an efficient fuel, but if you accidentally made a stack of them you can use them for fuel.

Why won't my villager become a toolsmith?

If the villager has been traded with, their profession has been locked in and they cannot change professions. An unassigned villager will search nearby job-site blocks if they have claimed a bed. If they are the first villager in that area (You cured a zombie villager that wasn't near a village), it will take time for them to establish that area as a new village. Once they have made that area a village, they will look for a bed, then look for a profession. If the villager is a nitwit it is impossible to assign a profession to them.