Minecraft wiki entry for Shelters, associated text: Make one of these if you have a long and deep mine and have to constantly run up and down long tunnels to drop off your bounty and sleep for the night. You need to make a small cottage in the middle of your mine, but digging out a room(s) in the side of a wall works fine as well. Adding a door, windows and plenty of light reduces the chance of being ambushed when you wake up in the morning. It must have a chest with food, picks, and shovels, as well as rare items that you don't want to lose while mining. Having multiple chests in a back room to store your excess dirt, gravel, cobblestone and ores is handy if your main chest is getting crowded and you'll be down in your mine for a while yet. A crafting table, multiple furnaces for quickly smelting items, and a bed are always good to have inside. You can also include an Enchantment Table for quick enchanting of tools and armor, especially if your favorite Efficiency IV/Silk Touch I diamond pick got burnt in the pit of lava that also stole some redstone.