Hardwood in Stardew Valley is used for a variety of crafting recipes and with the tools needed to make many different items. It’s used to make Totems, the Worm Bin, and many other farm implements, but it’s also vital for upgrading the farmhouse too. For these reasons, you will need a steady supply of it.
Hardwood in Stardew Valley is obtained by chopping a Large Stump with a Copper Axe or better, or a Large Log with a Steel Axe or better. The six large stumps respawn every day within the Secret Woods, making it possible to get 12 from this area each day. The Forest Farm start also has a steady supply, with 8 logs spawning on the west side of the farm each day.
Another method for getting Hardwood in Stardew Valley is to harvest it from Woodskip Fish Ponds. Woodskip fish can be most reliably found in the Secret Woods on non-rainy days. They can be found on any day though. The woodskip is most likely to spawn farther from shore, so a longer cast will modestly increase the odds of catching it. It won’t be easy to reel in though, so be prepared for a struggle.
If you chose the Forest Farm start, you can also find Woodskip without having to go to the Secret Woods.
Keep catching Woodskip until you have brought six back to your farm and placed them in a fish pond. Once there are six of the fish in the pond, it will begin to spawn hardwood drops Having the Lumberjack progression can speed this up as well.
Catching a certain amount of Woodskip has two benefits. One reward is that there are a handful of quests associated with Woodskip. These are the required components that you will need to gather to complete these quests:
- 1 Woodskip: 10 Hardwood
- 3 Woodskip: 2 to 3 Common Mushrooms or 2 to 3 Red Mushroom
- 5 Woodskip: 1 Oak Resin or 1 Pine Tar
- 7 Woodskip: 2 Jade or 1 Tea Leaves
