Bench Vice and Torque Wrench

[chicu1981]

Hi Guys,
I have decided to jump into the world of building an upper receiver. I guess I need two tools, bench vice and torque wrench. Any good recommendation?

Thank you,

 

[rkm456]

and a block to hold your upper, a barrel nut wrench of some sort, a brass hammer, and potentially some punches.

 

[chicu1981]

I have punches, starter punches hammer and upper and lower blocks. I have built the lower previously. Just need a recommendation on the Vice and where to buy it. I am in Toronto area.

 

[7.62mm]

Have a look at the offerings that Busy Bee Tools has for bench vices. I would look for a torque wrench at an auto motive supply shop....CarQuest, Napa etc.. I personally steer clear of Canadian Tire hand tools

 

[rkm456]

I have punches, starter punches hammer and upper and lower blocks. I have built the lower previously. Just need a recommendation on the Vice and where to buy it. I am in Toronto area.

Princess auto usually has good sales on vices.

 

[Magellann]

I agree with Princess Auto, its a great place for tools. Thats also where I got my Pro Point torque wrench.
Your going to need a lot more than a vice and torque wrench as well.

 

[Uisge]

Make sure you get the correct range of torque wrench, you want to be in the middle of the range, not the top or bottom. A set of soft jaws for your vice can be good too.

 

[RideauBound]

Princess Auto for cheaper stuff, if you want something made in Canada and are willing to pay for it I got my bench vise from Gray Tools (https://shopgraytools.com/). Don't forget the soft jaws as was already mentioned, they're super useful.

For torque wrenches I use some cheap Capri Tools ones. Made in Taiwan, but they've worked well for my needs, and are quite inexpensive.

 

[Kidd X]

The Geiselle reaction rod is 100 times better than the receiver blocks and much easier to use.

 

[JohnnyP636]

The Geiselle reaction rod is 100 times better than the receiver blocks and much easier to use.

I agree 100% but its pretty expensive, and there is a site supporter that is now selling something just like it in Canada for less then half the price. No regrets with the Geiselle personally but if you dont want to spend $160+ there is now a cheaper options. Either way a rod is way better then a block, my 1st block never fit any of my uppers properly, had to modify it to fit as I have different billet uppers....I dont use it at all anymore and stick with the rod

Lucky for me I had Torque wrench's already for work, I have Snap on 5-75 ft/lbs model and I also have a Norbar 30-150ft/lbs, You don't have to spend big money on a Snapon but I would stay away from cheap offshore stuff like Princes Auto etc . As I have seen many tests where the cheaper ones are off by quite a bit.

For a vise I use an old machinist vice that I refurbished, I prefer the flat jaws and rigidity of the machinist style vise, especially for the Geiselle reaction rod or anything where I don't want the jaws with teeth digging into my tools or parts. You can also get jaw covers but I prefer not to have teeth on my jaws at all