Bench blocks come in many shapes, sizes, and uses!

by Dick Maheu

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.

Read more in our February 2015 issue. Back issues are available.

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