... with 14 wood, you can plop down a workbench right ouside a crypt, and cover it with 2 pieces of roofing.

... you can plop down a campfire inside a crypt, and make sure you have a rested buff in there.

Those two things make getting iron so much easier I'm kicking myself for not realizing it. Pop out to repair your antler pickaxe. Spend 20s to get a rested buff when inside, after the one you have runs out.

Find a chest near the exit, dump scrap iron into it. Then once you've mined the crypt out, run what you have (usually 4 full stacks for the boat, one full or partial for your own inventory) to a Karve. Sail home.