Gather 2 sticks
Gather 3 of the same material: wooden planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, gold ingots, diamond, or netherite ingot
Open a crafting table
Place 2 material pieces in the top row, left and middle slots
Place 1 material piece in the middle row, left slot
Place 1 stick in the middle row, middle slot
Place 1 stick in the bottom row, middle slot
Take the axe from the crafting result slot