Bench Blocks 101

This is a subject that I have never seen covered to any extent. After looking around my workshop I decided to write an article giving some ideas for your workbench. Bench blocks are pretty simple, or are they? We all have at least one or several. Just what constitutes a bench block? Let’s try to define what a bench block is called upon to do.

We use them to support, prop up, balance, elevate, align, block, separate, combine, mount, rivet or work on gun parts and assemblies in the process of disassembly, reassembly, modification, repair and a whole host of chores we encounter in the shop. Materials for bench blocks run the gamut. Steel, aluminum, brass, copper, polyethylene, urethane, plexiglass, rubber, phenolic laminates, vinyl, leather, granite, rock, cork, various hardwoods, the list is endless.

There are also many specialty bench blocks specific to certain firearms. Brownells carries some of these specialty bench blocks which I’ll touch on in this article. Bench blocks have been with us from the beginning of man’s existence when he placed food items on a flat rock or log and beat them with another rock to pulverize them for eating or cooking. Anvils of all shapes and sizes can be termed and utilized as bench blocks.

Man’s discovery of iron ore and other alloying metals opened many avenues of invention which have been greatly refined with modern technology. A great many commercially made bench blocks are available for purchase today. However, as practicing gunsmiths, we seem to like and most often use on our bench the one’s we have made or modified ourselves. There is just something special about utilizing a tool you have created or modified through your own ingenuity.

It has never ceased to amaze me at some of the ingenious modifications and devices I have found in firearms while working on them that some other gunsmith has come up with to exact repair.

There is a lot of knowledge and exceptional ability in the I picked it up in a salvage yard and have no idea what it was originally used for but it has assisted me in taking apart hundreds of guns over the years. gunsmithing fraternity and I have gotten many great ideas over the years from various gunsmith acquaintances, gunsmithing books and articles. Let’s look at a few commercially available bench blocks on the market. I have listed and show, five commercial type bench blocks I have in my shop.

The Wheeler Engineering block is probably the most versatile bench block I own. Although having several functions that were specifically arranged for work on Colt 1911, it has much versatility in the working of all types of firearms. I highly recommend this bench block. It is made of non-marring urethane and is available from Midway USA, Amazon.com and other outlets. It is 4 x 1- 1/4 inches in size and runs between $17 and $24. It is a solid block.

The steel bench block is very rugged and will take a lot of pounding. It is made of solid steel and partially hollowed out on the bottom for gun pins to fall through when being

It is one of the most versatile bench blocks I own. Top left, Wheeler Engineering bench block; top right, a steel bench block; bottom right, Blue Pistol; bottom left, a rubber bench block and center, an aluminum bench block. removed. This block is sold under many different brand names but virtually all alike and apparently produced by the same facility. Prices vary greatly on this bench block from $18 to $85. You get to choose what "brand" name you want on your bench!

I obtained mine from Grizzly Tools for $16.00 some years ago. It is 3 x 1-1/2 inches in size and sees a lot of use on my bench. I highly recommend it for the tough jobs you will encounter. The Blue Pistol Bench Block is very much like the Wheeler block but not as versatile. It was the forerunner of the synthetic blocks but remains quite versatile in the shop. I’ve had mine for some time now and it saw a lot of use in the past. It is obtainable from Brownells and is priced very reasonable at $17.

It is made of non-marring polyethylene and is 4 x 1-3/8 inches in size. It is a solid block. The Beadalon solid rubber block is advertised as a jewelry making block Your own ingenuity will show how you can use these types of items to assist you. but is very handy for the gunsmith. I use it mostly as a base for smaller metal blocks when working parts or assemblies. It is sold as a 4 x 4 x 1 inch block but is slightly smaller in size due to rounded corners. It sells for as low as $5 on Amazon.com.

My aluminum bench block may not be a commercial block as I acquired it used at an old tool shop but it is extremely well made by a gifted machinist. It is 1-3/8 inches high by 2-5/16 inches wide. Accordingly, I have no source or price for this block. Incidentally, we have several of these used tool places close to where I reside here in Maine and I have found many useful tools for gunsmithing in them or tools I could turn into jigs and special gunsmithing tools.

I hope to cover some of these tools in upcoming articles. Search out some of these used tool places in your area as they can be a treasure trove for the gunsmith. All but the steel block are nonmarring. The many different sized "V" blocks I use, while not bench blocks in the vernacular, are often used as bench blocks on this gunsmith’s workbench, often times, in conjunction with other bench blocks or to secure round work.

The Machinist’s Step Block has eleven different height steps and is made by Jergens Machine Tool (jergensinc.com). It is very handy when setting up parts or assemblies with different height sections or in machine set ups. I picked mine up at a used tool shop and they may be available direct from Jergens. My main bench block is made of aluminum and came with ready made holes of different sizes.

I have no idea what its original purpose was for but I have used it to disassemble hundreds of firearms since the middle 70s. I originally picked it up in a salvage yard for next to nothing. It is 3-1/4 x 3-1/8 x 5/8 inches in size. I originally covered one side with moleskin to protect both the block and parts being worked on from marring. I only replaced that just last year with sticky back felt which is available from hobby and craft shops.

My wife is a great quilt maker, having made and given away over 200 quilts, and I often find myself at the Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store, browsing while waiting for her, and that’s where I found and obtain my sticky back felt from. It comes in various colors and is reasonably priced at $3 or so a package. After all those years, that original moleskin was pretty beat up and dirty but still functional. They also carry dowel rods fairly cheap.

You see fellas, even a gunsmith can find something he can use in a place that you all thought was for the wife only! I have several different items utilized as bench blocks over the years made of steel, aluminum and round plexiglass. All of these items were picked up over the years for very little money and have been priceless to me when I needed each one of them for a specific job or task.

While some of these items may look like overkill, you as an individual gunsmith or gun nut need to determine your own needs as you work guns commercially or just for yourself. Brownells carries several special purpose bench blocks for specific tasks, many of them for work on the AR-15 or 1911. Some noteworthy examples include the 10-8 Performance 1911 Auto Armorer’s Block (#100-004-369AK), AR-15 Hammer Drop Block (#080-953-000AK) and 1911 Auto Barrel Alignment Block (#080-000-041AK.) They have many others.

Many years ago, while stopping at Brownells, traveling through on vacation, I met the late Bob Brownell himself, and my wife and I were treated to a complete tour by him, followed by a nice conversation on the finer points of establishing a small gun shop/gunsmithing business. A finer gentleman I have never met and the folks at Brownells can always be counted on for top rate service and products. I highly recommend them.

I have shown a couple of pictures of bench blocks in use on my bench but the uses to the gunsmith are without end. I hope this article has given ideas to the reader on the subject of Bench Blocks 101. AG