We'd keep copies of the Crafting Table for each player on the server. Each player would have a "global crafting table" for this storage, that would expire if the server detects the client hasn't been looking at any crafting table for more than a few seconds. On expiration, give the items back.

To confirm the craft, you'd punch the crafting table, and the output would be summoned as an ItemEntity above the crafting table to be picked up.

I'm still doing the global crafting table and such, but instead we won't take the items from the player until the craft takes place. We'll also as a result of this be storing all items on the client side.

A punch will do the craft once if we can take things from the player's inventory.

Besides VR testing, this is done