You’ll trigger this quest on the 21st of Winter, during the final stretch of your first year. Robin will send you a letter asking for ten pieces of Hardwood. This is a relatively easy task - 

- if you’ve already upgraded your Axe. If not, you have some work to do. Hardwood is gathered by breaking up the tree stumps on your property, and to bust them up you need a Copper Axe at a minimum. To get a Copper Axe you’ll need to take the following to Clint:
  • Five Copper Bars. Each Bar requires five Copper Ores, which you can farm in the Mines fairly easily, and one piece of Coal, which you’ll find by breaking up rocks. Put the lot in a Furnace and you’ll have a Copper Bar about a minute later.
  • 2,000 gold. How you get the cash is your own affair.
Wander around your property and smash up any tree stumps you find to get the Hardwood, then take the ten pieces to Robin for your Journal reward of 500 gold.