Hobbymill started the way a lot of good ideas do — out of frustration.
I got into wooden ship modelling around 2019, after a couple of attempts with plastic kits that never quite felt right — something was missing. My first wooden kit was the HMS Terror, which I almost finished before it took a fall and broke apart. Next came the HMS Cruizer, which is still waiting on its rigging — these days the workshop keeps me busy enough that my own builds tend to sit on the shelf for a while.
Along the way, I ordered a sample pack of ten different wood species from a European supplier, hoping to learn what each one looked and worked like. What arrived was a single unmarked bundle — no species labels, no thickness markings, nothing. As a beginner, I had no way to tell one wood from another. If this was the standard the market was working with, I figured it couldn't be too hard to do better.
That's where Hobbymill began, in 2021. I set a clear direction from day one: premium species only, never mass-market filler wood. I went to real lengths to bring Alaskan Yellow Cedar and other species into Europe, and sourced Black Hornbeam from the East — which has since found a warm reception with builders in the West.
Because I know exactly what this wood is used for, I also pay attention to what doesn't make the cut. Depending on the species, somewhere between 30–50% of milled material doesn't meet modelling-grade standards for colour and grain consistency — but it's still good, usable hardwood. Rather than waste it, that material now goes into our Exotic Hardwood Lumber and Unique Pieces ranges, so nothing premium ends up in the scrap bin.
None of this would have developed the way it has without the Model Ship World community — their feedback, questions and builds have shaped Hobbymill more than any single decision I've made on my own, and I'm genuinely grateful for that. It's part of why Hobbymill is a proud sponsor of MSW. News, updates and discussion about Hobbymill happen mainly over on our MSW thread — that's the best place to follow along or ask questions.
Proud sponsor of MSW
Since then I've kept investing — in the workshop, in machinery, in tighter tolerances and a more consistent process. Hobbymill is still very much a one-person operation, run alongside a full-time job — every order is milled, checked and packed personally.