March 14, 2025 Benchmark Abrasives

Brandon Lund (@lunddiybuilds)

Welcome to this week's #benchmarkspotlight (formerly the #weldershowcase) - we had the opportunity to sit down with Brandon from @lunddiybuilds and talk a little shop.

If you would like to be featured in our weekly spotlight (100% FREE) and have a chance at winning one of our Grinder Hoods please send us an email to leo.benchmarkabrasives@gmail.com to get you scheduled in an upcoming week. And for those of you that take the time to share your story with us, we'd be happy to provide a free BA banner. These spotlights are intended to highlight your skill, your business, and your tips and tricks. Most of all it's to have a little fun!

Name: Brandon Lund

Business Name: Brandon Lund DIY Builds

Location: Maine

Socials: IG: @lunddiybuilds FB: Lund DIY Builds TikTok: Brandon Lund

YouTube: BrandonLund

Specialties: Video Creator, Welding, Metal Fabrication, Mobile Welding

Tell us about yourself - what inspired you to get into your trade? And how long?

I'm 54 years old, it started with me working on cars around age 12 with my dad. It was then that I knew that I liked to "create things". I rebuilt my first car at 15 with the help of my dad. At 17 years old I designed and built my first tandem axle car trailer using stick welding. At 18 years old (before we had YouTube) I chopped the roof 6" on my 1970 chevy pickup and brazed it back together. I had never done anything that drastic before. I just took my time and worked through the process. It came out awesome. In my early 30's I started building with my 2 kids and video documenting the projects with them and uploading to YouTube so that someday when I'm not around, they will have easy access to some of the things we built together. I have been building, creating, designing and fabricating with metal for most of my life. Working with my hands is a passion.

What keeps you motivated throughout the day?
What keeps me motivated is learning and improving. I enjoy sharing my passion with others through social media, in hopes that it improves or inspires others to create. I'm always looking to improve myself, whether it's becoming better at a welding process, coming up with processes that make me more efficient, building or designing tools or fixtures or finding fun ways to make my daily life more productive.

What is your favorite shop tool and why?
My favorite shop tool is my drill press that I bought off Marketplace for $30. I brought it home, cut it up and modified it to accept a magnetic drill. Now my magnetic drill which sat on the shelf 60% of the time, now is used constantly as a drill press in my shop, but I can also quickly grab it from the drill press and use it on mobile jobs the way it was intended to be used.

What's your favorite piece that you've worked on?
My favorite piece is a Microwave cart that my daughter and I built from steel. We used maple pallet wood for the top and an old antique crate that I put on drawer slides for storage below. This project was very special to me for many reasons. It was one of the first projects that inspired me to share my ideas on YouTube (I had no clue how to film. Some of the early videos are pretty hard to watch LOL). It was also special because my daughter was doing this project with me, including some of the welding. It was her first time welding and she was a natural. My daughter and I built this for my son, (her brother) as a surprise present while he was in college. I filmed and shared it on YouTube so he could see everything we did. This is the project that started my passion for sharing my ideas on YouTube.

If you could have any job as it relates to question 1 what would it be and what would you do with that?
I enjoy everything I do. I wouldn't change anything.

What BA product is your favorite and why?

I like the stringer wheels and the abrasive discs.

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What BA product surprised you in terms of quality - what about it set it apart from the competition?

I really like the durability of the stringer wheels. Many of the cheaper brands will throw lots of wire barbs as it wears down.

What tips and tricks do you have for us that might be different or eye opening for others to try with BA product?

As someone who has had numerous eye injuries over the years, safety is number one for me. For less than the cost of an emergency visit to the optometrist, you can pick up the newest PPE Kit from BA (grinder face shield, respirator and hearing protection) and it's awesome!

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If there was one person you could collaborate with - who would it be and why?

Although we do very different things, probably Bad Chad. I appreciate his vision and creativity.

Do you have any advice for the next generation that you wish you had when you first started?

My advice for the next generation in ANY trade is, talent and ambition goes a long way, but it doesn't pay the bills. The hardest part in my opinion to any service based business, is learning how to manage and run the business successfully. Doing the physical work is the EASY part. The hard part is learning to price your work accordingly, which includes knowing your operating and overhead costs.

What are your future plans for your shop?

I plan to expand. My shop is very cramped, but I keep it very organized for the most part. I'm hoping to put up a building in the next couple of years.

Thanks for sitting with us and sharing your story with the community - is there anything you'd like to add?

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share my story.

A Note From Leo

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Brandon! Being able to build with your kids and pass down that knowledge along with the bond you're forging - priceless!