Greatest growth was happening in Ireland, where the concept was going "gangbusters", and in Scotland, he said.
Professor Golding complimented the Henley Men's Shed, saying there were very few sheds like it. Every shed was different, including one in Melbourne, which had no tools, just a jug for making coffee.
In one Irish shed Gaelic was the only language spoken, in an endeavour to preserve the language.
In Australia there were sheds for Aborigines and Vietnam War veterans. Internationally, there were four sheds specifically for women.
"There is no right way to do a shed," he said.
Every one was different, although nearly all were aimed at older, baby-boom-era, men living alone and isolated by retirement and bereavement, a sector where the suicide risk was high.
He quoted one Australian man who told him "without the shed I'd be dead".
"The most important thing is that the Men's Shed is a place where men feel at home."
On the issue of women in sheds, a contentious issue in some areas, he said a survey in Australia had shown that one-third of men were against it, a third didn't mind as long as the women "acted like men" and the remainder didn't care one way or the other.
Professor Golding said while sheds were good for the health and well-being of men, they were also "fantastic" for the community, the men getting involved in a huge range of activities.
Speaking to Mr Scott, he said the best thing government could do was support the national Men's Shed association. It would only be a small amount of money but had a huge capacity to make a difference in people's lives.
"The worst thing," he said, "would be for Men's Sheds to be fully funded".
He cited one Aussie shed that raised a $300,000 mortgage, which it was slowly paying off, in order to retain its independence.
Professor Golding recently retired as a research professor in adult community education at Federation University, Australia.
From 2011 to 2013 he was Associate Dean, Research, School of Education and Arts at the University of Ballarat.
