Learn how to craft a Stone Axe and Stone Pickaxe in Windrose by building a Workbench first, then using Stone and Wood to make both essential early tools.
Windrose breaks from the usual survival-game habit of letting you knock together your first tools straight from the inventory screen. Here the recipes live inside a placed Workbench, so the real first job is gathering enough loose Wood and Stone to build that station and then feed both tools. Below is the exact recipe, the on-screen procedure, and where these two tools sit on the early upgrade path.
Both the Stone Axe and Stone Pickaxe are crafted at a Workbench, each costing 3 Stone and 3 Wood — but first you have to build the Workbench itself (5 Wood) from the Build menu, since you can’t craft these tools from your inventory.
Stone Axe and Stone Pickaxe recipe at a glance
Both tools are Level 1 Workbench recipes, and they cost the same: 3 Stone + 3 Wood apiece. Make one of each and you’ll spend 6 Stone + 6 Wood total, on top of the 5 Wood for the Workbench. The important thing to note is that none of this shows up in your character or inventory crafting menu — you have to open the Workbench UI to see these recipes at the bottom of the list.
| Item | Materials | Crafted at |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Axe | 3 Stone + 3 Wood | Workbench (Level 1) |
| Stone Pickaxe | 3 Stone + 3 Wood | Workbench (Level 1) |
| Workbench | 5 Wood | Build menu |
How to build the Workbench and craft both stone tools in Windrose
Enter construction mode
Press B to open the Build menu and drop into construction mode, where you place structures in the world.
Build a bonfire
Place a bonfire, which costs 5 Wood — it’s the recommended base core, though basic items can reportedly still be crafted even when the Workbench isn’t within bonfire range.
Build a workbench
Back in the construction menu, build a Workbench for another 5 Wood and place it nearby.
Open the workbench and craft the Stone Pickaxe
Interact with the Workbench, scroll to the bottom of the crafting list, and craft the Stone Pickaxe for 3 Stone + 3 Wood — it’s instant.
Craft the Stone Axe
With more resources in hand, craft the Stone Axe at the same Workbench for another 3 Stone + 3 Wood.
Pick up loose stones and sticks from the ground around your starting area before you build anything — you can grab them bare-handed, and you only need 6 Stone and 6 Wood (plus the Workbench wood) to make both tools.
Mistakes that stop the recipe from appearing
The single biggest trip-up is hunting for these recipes in the character or inventory crafting menu — they simply aren’t there. Both tools are Workbench-only, sitting at the bottom of that station’s list, so if you can’t find them, you’re looking in the wrong menu.
Two smaller snags catch people out as well. After crafting, the tools land in your inventory but won’t do anything until you move them into your hotbar and equip them, which leads to the “they don’t appear” confusion. And rather than chopping trees or smacking rocks bare-handed to scrape together materials, it’s far faster to loot the scattered stones and driftwood already lying around to hit the 3-and-3 requirement.
What the stone tools do and the upgrades next
Once equipped, the two tools split the gathering work. The Stone Pickaxe breaks larger rock formations for efficient Stone farming and, more importantly, mines Copper Ore from nodes in cave areas. The Stone Axe goes to work on trees and palms for bigger Wood hauls than hand-gathering ever gives you.
That copper is your gateway to the next tier. Mine Copper Ore with the Stone Pickaxe, smelt it into Copper Ingots at a Furnace, and you can then craft the Copper Axe and Copper Pickaxe — each 5 Copper Ingot + 5 Wood at the Workbench. Beyond that, Iron Axe and Iron Pickaxe open up once you reach Workbench Level 2, each costing 5 Iron Ingot + 5 Wood.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a Bonfire to craft the Stone Axe and Pickaxe, or just a Workbench?
Build a bonfire first and then a Workbench, and that’s the recommended early setup. That said, basic items can be crafted even when the Workbench is not within bonfire range, so the bonfire may be more of a convenient base core than a hard prerequisite for these two tools. If you’re tight on wood, the Workbench is the part you can’t skip.
Why can’t I find the Stone Axe or Pickaxe recipe in my inventory or character menu?
Because they aren’t crafted there. Unlike many survival games, Windrose keeps these recipes inside the Workbench UI — interact with a placed Workbench and scroll to the bottom of the crafting list to find both tools.
How do I get Stone and Wood before I have any tools?
You pick them up by hand. Scattered stones sit around the world as cobbles and boulders, and wood can be looted as sticks and driftwood near the shoreline before you’ve crafted anything. Grab enough to reach 6 Stone and 6 Wood for both tools, plus the 5 Wood for the Workbench.
What’s the next upgrade after the stone tools?
Copper tools. Use the Stone Pickaxe to mine Copper Ore in caves, smelt it into Copper Ingots at a Furnace, then craft the Copper Axe or Copper Pickaxe for 5 Copper Ingot + 5 Wood each. Iron versions follow at Workbench Level 2.
