Crafting Stone and Bone Armor for Early Progression
Stone and Bone armor sit just above Wooden and are both easy to obtain before you have iron. Use them to survive caves and early mob fights.
Stone Armor
Mine cobblestone and craft Stone Helmet, Stone Chestplate, Stone Leggings, and Stone Boots using the standard armor shapes on a crafting table. Stone is abundant, so you can replace broken pieces without a trip to the surface.
Bone Armor
Bone armor comes from skeletons. Collect bones from kills, convert them into bone meal if your recipe needs it, then craft Bone Helmet, Bone Chestplate, Bone Leggings, and Bone Boots in the same shaped layouts. Bone armor is worth farming because skeletons are common in caves and at night.
Progression Order
Run Wooden → Stone → Bone → Copper as your early ladder. Each set uses the same four shaped recipes, so once you learn one layout you can craft every tier. Carry spare materials for the piece that breaks first, usually the chestplate.