Make a 5x5 or 7x7 or 9x9 room at around Y=11 (dark green). Dig out long diagonals (green) radiating from the single central point. All of these diagonals have to cross the central point (black) - be symmetrical - or it gets wonky!
Then, go a little ways out on one diagonal. Start digging straight - the blue lines. Whenever you hit a diagonal tunnel, keep going straight 3 blocks until you hit a wall, then turn at a right angle and start digging the next tunnel. You can easily see how that works above.
When your pack is full, get to the nearest diagonal and zip back to the central storehouse to empty your pack. Mark the diagonal you came from with a torch or something.
Benefits: You can mindlessly dig ahead with the simple rule of hitting the wall and turning at a diagonal. You're never very far from the path home (diagonal tunnel). You don't end up deep in some branch with a full pack. This is relaxing. It's also kind of pretty running back on a diagonal somehow.
Drawbacks: If you don't dig out the diagonals first, you have to extend the diagonals when you meet a tunnel. Digging the diagonal tunnels technically represents some extra work. Your diagonals all need to be long enough. This design also places a new tunnel every 4th space, so if you like a different spacing, it gets more complicated.
Bonus technique: You can also easily spiral inwards if you like that better Just turn in the FIRST open space in the diagonal instead of the THIRD.
The precise diagonals are easy to make if you put torches along the spine of the diagonal (dark green square.)
Leave a block in the center of the room (black square) and whenever you look back you should be sighting a line of the torches straight to the center block. This helps if your diagonals get messy... if you run into a cave, perhaps, or mine along the way.
Kind of cool. I'd want to try it if it weren't for the diagonal lines, and the fact that they're extra work. It'd definitely avoid ending up miles away from the starting point of your branch when you're strip mining like I usually do. I just hate mining in the first place and avoid it whenever I can so I know I'd never get around to doing something fancy like this.
There's a slight problem with you method. According to your image, there are a total of 3 blocks between tunnels. That's extremely inefficient if you want to go back through and mine the middle block. Perhaps if there was some way to reengineer the method to have only two blocks between.
However, I will try this method. It looks cool and I think it will work.
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There's a slight problem with you method. According to your image, there are a total of 3 blocks between tunnels. That's extremely inefficient if you want to go back through and mine the middle block. Perhaps if there was some way to reengineer the method to have only two blocks between.
However, I will try this method. It looks cool and I think it will work.
Glad all of you are interested. I mine this way all the time now.
I think 3 blocks between is ideal because that will cause any diamond formations at least 2 wide on the right level to be exposed to one of the tunnels.
Diamond formations only 1 wide are both uncommon and small anyhow so I don't worry about missing them. Plus advancing by four blocks in each cycle is very natural.
What about the 2 sections closes to your main area (drop shaft) that are 4-5 blocks deep? Do you explore those areas, then fill them back in to make sure you haven't missed anything so close to your starting point?
Your method isn't any more efficient than normal 3x3 branch mining with the exception of being able to get back to base quickly on foot. With normal branch mining I usually setup a rail system to get around quickly. But I do like the thinking that went into your method. If rails could be setup on a smooth diagonal I would definitely try this method on a large scale. I might give it a go at one of my remote bases just for giggles, though.
What about the 2 sections closes to your main area (drop shaft) that are 4-5 blocks deep? Do you explore those areas, then fill them back in to make sure you haven't missed anything so close to your starting point?
Your method isn't any more efficient than normal 3x3 branch mining with the exception of being able to get back to base quickly on foot. With normal branch mining I usually setup a rail system to get around quickly. But I do like the thinking that went into your method. If rails could be setup on a smooth diagonal I would definitely try this method on a large scale. I might give it a go at one of my remote bases just for giggles, though.
Hi, thanks for your feedback!
The little 4-5 wide sections close to your main starting area could be hiding diamonds, true. Not many. If you like, you could start the spiderweb cross tunnels (N/S/E/W tunnels) closer your starting area to eliminate missing these nearby diamonds.
I don't make great claims for efficiency of this method - the efficiency is good and running is kept to a minimum, but there certainly might be more diamonds/minute with other methods. I like the way it feels, mainly. With my usual branch mining, I would forget which branch I was really on next, I would be uncertain when to turn back and head to the main branch (looking at F3 display?), the branches are kind of ugly and confusing to me (a hallway of tunnels?) Feels good to me this way. For some reason I like the idea that I'm always heading towards a known destination - getting the current tunnel to one of my own diagonals. Maybe I think spiderly.
Another elaboration would be extending this design to mine on multiple levels, like y=5 as well as y=11.
I don't disagree that mining straight tunnels is kinda boring and can get confusing. I mark the next shaft to mine using polished granite blocks. The pathways from the main tunnel to the actual mining tunnels have cobblestone flooring, so I know exactly which tunnel I need to start next. I don't go far horizontally until I've cleared that same area on multiple levels, then I'll expand outwards more, usually starting an auxiliary drop-shaft up to a hut on the surface. It works for me, which is why I haven't really experimented much beyond alternating my tunnels per floor, so I expose the maximum amount of potential veins possible while maintaining efficiency.
I'll give your method a try and post some better feedback on it.
Following up on this interesting thread here,
http://www.minecraft...-spiral-mining/
the Phoenix spiral mine inspired this spiderweb design.
Make a 5x5 or 7x7 or 9x9 room at around Y=11 (dark green). Dig out long diagonals (green) radiating from the single central point. All of these diagonals have to cross the central point (black) - be symmetrical - or it gets wonky!
Then, go a little ways out on one diagonal. Start digging straight - the blue lines. Whenever you hit a diagonal tunnel, keep going straight 3 blocks until you hit a wall, then turn at a right angle and start digging the next tunnel. You can easily see how that works above.
When your pack is full, get to the nearest diagonal and zip back to the central storehouse to empty your pack. Mark the diagonal you came from with a torch or something.
Benefits: You can mindlessly dig ahead with the simple rule of hitting the wall and turning at a diagonal. You're never very far from the path home (diagonal tunnel). You don't end up deep in some branch with a full pack. This is relaxing. It's also kind of pretty running back on a diagonal somehow.
Drawbacks: If you don't dig out the diagonals first, you have to extend the diagonals when you meet a tunnel. Digging the diagonal tunnels technically represents some extra work. Your diagonals all need to be long enough. This design also places a new tunnel every 4th space, so if you like a different spacing, it gets more complicated.
Bonus technique: You can also easily spiral inwards if you like that better Just turn in the FIRST open space in the diagonal instead of the THIRD.
It wouldn't involve getting lost, since it's not just branching straight paths.
Useful if you like a nice symmetrical mine.
Unfortunately, I'd hate having to dig out those precise diagonals, so I probably won't use it.
Leave a block in the center of the room (black square) and whenever you look back you should be sighting a line of the torches straight to the center block. This helps if your diagonals get messy... if you run into a cave, perhaps, or mine along the way.
Cool, what did you do a different way?
However, I will try this method. It looks cool and I think it will work.
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Glad all of you are interested. I mine this way all the time now.
I think 3 blocks between is ideal because that will cause any diamond formations at least 2 wide on the right level to be exposed to one of the tunnels.
Diamond formations only 1 wide are both uncommon and small anyhow so I don't worry about missing them. Plus advancing by four blocks in each cycle is very natural.
Your method isn't any more efficient than normal 3x3 branch mining with the exception of being able to get back to base quickly on foot. With normal branch mining I usually setup a rail system to get around quickly. But I do like the thinking that went into your method. If rails could be setup on a smooth diagonal I would definitely try this method on a large scale. I might give it a go at one of my remote bases just for giggles, though.
Ropes: Leads, just better -Deonyi
I am a friend of all Snow Golem kind.
He scream
Hi, thanks for your feedback!
The little 4-5 wide sections close to your main starting area could be hiding diamonds, true. Not many. If you like, you could start the spiderweb cross tunnels (N/S/E/W tunnels) closer your starting area to eliminate missing these nearby diamonds.
I don't make great claims for efficiency of this method - the efficiency is good and running is kept to a minimum, but there certainly might be more diamonds/minute with other methods. I like the way it feels, mainly. With my usual branch mining, I would forget which branch I was really on next, I would be uncertain when to turn back and head to the main branch (looking at F3 display?), the branches are kind of ugly and confusing to me (a hallway of tunnels?) Feels good to me this way. For some reason I like the idea that I'm always heading towards a known destination - getting the current tunnel to one of my own diagonals. Maybe I think spiderly.
Another elaboration would be extending this design to mine on multiple levels, like y=5 as well as y=11.
I'll give your method a try and post some better feedback on it.
Ropes: Leads, just better -Deonyi