---
id: t4
title: Hopper blocks instead of fixed-size hoppers
status: Review
created: 2026-10-24
updated: 2026-10-24T20:06:51Z
tags: [discussion]
order: 1
report: |
  (agent) Built. Grinder ($60) and Saw ($90) are 1-block pieces in the Machines tab. Grains
  resting on top are worked and the result drops out underneath, so a row of them between two
  walls is a hopper of any width, and each block adds speed (two Grinders = one old Refiner, one
  Saw = one old Stone cutter). A Saw stacked on a Grinder cuts the stone and grinds everything
  else. If the space underneath fills up the block stops; hover it to see why. The Refiner and
  Stone cutter are gone from the menu; ones already built keep working. Please try a wide grinder
  hopper fed with the nozzle, a Saw on a Grinder, and an old save that has a Refiner.
---

## Context

- instead of buildings like the refiner which have a fixed size hopper, just make a block the same size as a wall tile that looks like grinding wheels where the user can place multiple side by side to create a wide hopper. the same thing should be done for the other buildings like that.

## Subtasks

- [x] Grinder block (does what the Refiner does) and Saw block (Stone cutter), 1 block each; side by side they make a wider, faster hopper
- [x] Refiner and Stone cutter leave the build menu; built ones in old saves keep working