Is there any specific levels people like to mine at that leads them to finding an abandon mineshaft?
Not sure what levels they are at, I've found them near the surface in a cave. If you can find a ravine, explore that really well. A lot of times the ravine will cut thru one. I've found a few that way. Others I just happened to stumble onto them. Once you find the first one, they become easier to find. The first time is always the hardest.
Abandoned mineshafts are multi-layered structures. Some will start closer to surface and not go down quite as deep while the lower layers of others will be near bedrock level and they will not go as close to surface. So, the best odds of finding one are when your are digging around the middle underground layers of the map (e.g. layers 25 to 35). The most practical way to find them (without using an x-ray glitch) is to really keep your eyes open for wood underground when you are looking through caves and ravines. Since there are also some torches scattered within the mineshafts, checking out any light sources you spot underground is also a good idea. Most will be lava, but others will be mineshafts and even your stronghold has some torches generated in it.
The quickest way to find anything underground is to make a duplicate of your seed, flip that into creative mode, and x-ray glitch. The cobwebs inside abandoned mineshafts show up particularly well in x-ray. You can x-ray glitch in survival mode as well. There are many complicated ways to x-ray glitch using pistons and such; but all you really need is 1 rail, 1 minecart, and 1 block of TNT. Dig a 1 x 2 high tunnel a short distance into a cave wall. Place the rail on the ground, place the minecart on the rail, and place the TNT right above the minecart. Then, get into the minecart and you will be seeing in x-ray view. When you are done looking around, just exit the minecart and retrieve your minecart, rail and TNT. Move to the next spot and rinse and repeat.
Keep looking. There are usually 2 or 3 mineshafts in every world. I've yet to encounter a world without at least one.
I didn't know this! I have only found two in maybe ten or so worlds that I have been in. The first one I found was by falling down a hole. The second one I found was by almost falling down a hole but stopping just in time, looking down and seeing part of the wooden structure, so I knew what it was. So I jumped down the hole
I keep forgetting about this for finding mineshafts. I use it all the time for finding slime chunks. Definitely a GREAT website. Both apps work very well.
Not sure what levels they are at, I've found them near the surface in a cave. If you can find a ravine, explore that really well. A lot of times the ravine will cut thru one. I've found a few that way. Others I just happened to stumble onto them. Once you find the first one, they become easier to find. The first time is always the hardest.
The quickest way to find anything underground is to make a duplicate of your seed, flip that into creative mode, and x-ray glitch. The cobwebs inside abandoned mineshafts show up particularly well in x-ray. You can x-ray glitch in survival mode as well. There are many complicated ways to x-ray glitch using pistons and such; but all you really need is 1 rail, 1 minecart, and 1 block of TNT. Dig a 1 x 2 high tunnel a short distance into a cave wall. Place the rail on the ground, place the minecart on the rail, and place the TNT right above the minecart. Then, get into the minecart and you will be seeing in x-ray view. When you are done looking around, just exit the minecart and retrieve your minecart, rail and TNT. Move to the next spot and rinse and repeat.
I meant the light is always lava
Keep looking. There are usually 2 or 3 mineshafts in every world. I've yet to encounter a world without at least one.
you can also use this
http://chunkbase.com/apps/mineshaft-finder
just enter your seed and click the xbox button
Took my idea tooool.
I didn't know this! I have only found two in maybe ten or so worlds that I have been in. The first one I found was by falling down a hole. The second one I found was by almost falling down a hole but stopping just in time, looking down and seeing part of the wooden structure, so I knew what it was. So I jumped down the hole
I keep forgetting about this for finding mineshafts. I use it all the time for finding slime chunks. Definitely a GREAT website. Both apps work very well.