He’s going through a bit of a rough patch and wants to replace his bad habits with positive hobbies but doesn’t know where to start. He enjoys Warhammer (although doesn’t have any kit and hasn’t done it in years) and he wants to get into woodworking or a similar craft but doesn’t know how to start. Has anyone got any advice please?

39 comments

  1. Take up a sport. I took up weightlifting this year as its the only sport I could find that fitted around my hectic diary and it’s been fantastic.

  2. Any hobby in the world can be started with no experience, otherwise people would never try them.

    In my opinion it’s more about trying what he likes rather than picking something at random. Woodworking tools are cheap and easily available, grab some from a secondhand shop or garage sale or car boot sale and get cracking!

  5. Woodworking is pretty easy. Work out what you want to build and go from there. A lot can be done with a tape measure, saw, chisels, a drill and a hammer.

  6. Lego, it can be cheap to get into (lots of small sets) and build up to bigger ones when budgets and experience allows.

  8. Maybe diorama making? Get to build stuff, can do small scale woodworking that doesn’t require big or expensive tools and painting is similar to the minature painting you do for warhammer, could even use what he makes as terrain to play with if he gets back into it.

  9. Google for a local class? There’s stuff in my city for carving, whittling, basic stuff for beginners. Maybe being around people will be beneficial.

  10. Perhaps look into Warhammer underworlds or a similar small scale game. You can paint and play together.

  11. For warhammer, depending on what he’s into you could probably get a starter kit, some paint, some brushes and tools to from a box to a playable set for about £100, which although not cheap isn’t a absolute fortune.

    For woodworking, there might be a local mens club which do wood working, although might be more aimed at the retired, not sure.

  12. Painting minis is reasonably cheap and easy to get in to. For warhammer it’s the minis that cost most but try ebay for bargains, Plenty of you tubers with good painting guides. I recommend ‘midwinter minis’ and ‘ebay miniature rescues’ for warhammer stuff.

  13. Indoor climbing is really accessible. Usually your local bouldering centre will offer starter classes and then you’re good to go. Keeps you fit and you progress regularly as a beginner.

  14. There’s Warhammer then he can get back into it, not doing it for years shouldn’t be a factor not to do it as I assume he hasn’t done anything ever or for a long time.

    My ADHD makes me really unfaithful with hobbies and get bored easily when I can’t move on from a level of skill quick enough. Even if I want to continue I just can’t maintain concentration or fall asleep. So I don’t make my comment flippantly about struggling with hobbies.

    In terms of craft hobbies, firstly, directing them to relevant craft Reddits can help, and also search for your local area if they do courses on the specific craft they want to do.

    I saw woodworking, joinery and carpentry lessons in London by just searching and legit places had places.

    The first part to overcome is not focusing on “being good” or “being rubbish” but just enjoying the process. I wish my brain understood enjoying the process.

    I hope that their rough patch clears up gradually and that life gives them a break. Nothing worse than letting your guard down and thinking things are going alright and then something just gives you whiplash.

  15. YouTube is a really great resource for learning new hobbies. If he decides to go for woodworking then I’m sure he’ll find lots of helpful tutorials for beginners to more on there. I taught myself to mosaic using lots of YouTube, found a few YouTubers I really liked that helped from tools needed to get started, how to actually do it, inspiration. Definitely recommend he has a look on there

  16. Would he enjoy D&D? Seems like there’s a lot of overlap with people who are into Warhammer and you’re part of a group so there’s a social aspect and you’re not learning the ropes on your own. You can play in person or online (in theory – it feels like all groups are online only now and I really miss playing in real life).

  17. I play my lyre for 1 hr a day, having had no musical experience and no lessons. It’s giving me peace and joy, and whether I get good at it or not doesn’t matter. It cost me £60, which is worth it as I love it.

  18. I play my lyre for 1 hr a day, having had no musical experience and no lessons. It’s giving me peace and joy, and whether I get good at it or not doesn’t matter. It cost me £60, which is worth it as I love it.

  21. Woodworking definitely! First project is a box second project a perfect box. Super cheap to start too. Old oak furniture is way out of fashion so you can normally pick up chunky pieces cheap to cut them up and use the wood, a few second hand tools and some good books/ the internet are all you need to start.

    If he’s having a bit of trouble getting into it is there a course or workshop near you that you can buy a voucher for a mini course with?

    Small warning that it starts cheap but ends up expensive.

  22. Getting fit can be a good – I would say specifically more like Olympic lifting or powerlifting.

    One thing that people don’t realise about strength training – and this is something a client once said to me as a PT – it is a skill you have to learn. Doing a really good squat isn’t easy, and yes it’s a matter of strength but also balance, flexibility, an understanding of how your body moves, etc. It can be rewarding to get better at it, getting stronger, better heath, changing your physique are all additional benefits

  25. Competitive mecano, 5 a side, craft beer, pottery, choral singing, metal detecting, dogging…

    I feel like we could be at this all day.

  26. I just want to say thanks to all who’ve commented and given good suggestions! I may not be able to respond to you all but I have been reading everything and I appreciate it. I’ve bought my partner some of the suggested things and have enquired about local clubs in my area so fingers crossed we’ll be making some progress!

    I just also want to add that men’s mental health is very important, one of the things that burdens my partner is that he feels he can’t truly open up and has to be a “man” all the time, which results in him partaking in destructive habits and I want to make sure all men reading this know that it’s okay to open up to your support system and seek communities of people who enjoy the same positive hobbies as you do. Please don’t keep your feelings bottled up for fear of burdening other people, it will only make your mental health worse in the long run.

  27. Lots of great ideas here to get him started!

    Just a small note of caution around the woodworking – please ensure relevant safety precautions are taken with PPE, especially in terms of dust generated by cutting and sanding etc. Eye and ear protection is also a must.

    All the best!

  28. For YouTube woodworking/craft channels, I’d recommend Odin Makes, I Like To Make Stuff, Epic Upcycling, and Get Hands Dirty.

  31. I got sucked into 3D printing.
    You can start of just printing other people’s designs (I believe bootleg Warhammer is out there).
    But it’s fun fiddling with the printer and then maybe having a go at CAD.
    Loads of support/ideas online and doesn’t take up that much physical space.

  32. Open water/cold water swimming. It’s proven to help with mental health and your immune system and there’s groups all over the U.K. that do it together. It’s not strenuous exercise and you always have a float/life jacket so it’s safe.

  33. Crochet is really easy. All you need is a hook and some yarn (both can be bought at Poundland), a YouTube tutorial and away he goes.

  35. Juggling is one of the cheapest hobbies to start. I initially learned with socks scrunched up to make balls, which means you can learn inside without annoying anyone as they are silent when they hit the floor. I’ve been juggling for a long time now and it really helps as a coping strategy as you have to focus!

  36. If he likes warhammer I’d start their. Try to find a local games workshop near you. They’ll be able to advise you, there’s also forums online to.

    If you want to try something different maybe get him to start looking at model railways. He can build, paint and model to his hearts content. Also wood working is involved because you have to build the boards. Also there’s something quite relaxing about watching it go through all the scenery you’ve built. The various magazine have put out various how to books to on how to build your first layout.

  37. What age is he? Would he mind hanging with older guys? There’s a project called ‘men’s sheds’. There may be one near you.

    They are community spaces (often workshops) where men can get together, share skills and build/make. Most people involved are older/retired, however age is no barrier. There’s loads of examples of how they work online.

    There are also ‘maker spaces’ in most big town and cities these often have all the tools needed for wood working, printing, crafting and more. The maker spaces usually have options to buy in if you’re a creative but also run classes and workshops.

    I was looking for a new cheap hobby and started ‘disc golf’ (frisbee golf) as there is a course near me. £30 got me a basic driver, mid and putter disc set, which got me started.

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