# Dayton 3z981 14" Bandsaw Manual & Parts List



## imheya (May 7, 2019)

Hey All!
I'm desperately seeking a manual and parts list for my bandsaw. Can anyone help me out?

Thank you


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## Mycrossover (May 18, 2018)

imheya said:


> Hey All!
> 
> I'm desperately seeking a manual and parts list for my bandsaw. Can anyone help me out?
> 
> ...


Call W W Grainger. Dayton is their house brand. They have whatever documentation is available.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Retired HVAC (Sep 8, 2019)

Here you are if you still need them.
Also an Addendum for the solid metal stand assembly.


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## thorbjorn88 (Nov 12, 2019)

Did you find the parts you needed? I just picked up one of these for cheap off of craigslist and am looking for some replacement parts and wondering if any parts for the grizzly g0555 bandsaw fit.


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## Retired HVAC (Sep 8, 2019)

I did! In around 2013.
The Grizzly band saw is almost identical to the Dayton. My Dayton had broken tilt-table trunnions. The Grizzly dropped right in. I think I ordered from M/N G0580.
It's been awhile so forgive my foggy memories. I also don't have this saw anymore. It too was CL'ed off to another home.
I also had broken the top blade guide "Support Bracket". That turned out to be tricky to retrofit. The Dayton was machined to accept a hex shaped "Guide Post"; the Grizzly was machined for a round. Made my own lathe and turned it down to round with files.
You should lay in a stock of the top wheel assemblies. This assembly is not very well thought out and have many issues. First it is the wrong material (die-cast) for the stress that it encounters. Second it's assembly design is a one-shot deal. Once pieces are pressed in it will never come apart again. Unless you did what I did after getting tired of buying these things.
Check the pictures.
Also make sure you have both US and Metric tools for this saw. Dayton couldn't make up their mind on which to use. It's a total hodge·podge!
Have fun.


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## thorbjorn88 (Nov 12, 2019)

Cool, thanks for the tips. My guide post looks exactly like the one you modified, but I'll need to do the same thing for the riser block I'm planning on installing. So you inserted aluminum blocks to support the arms to the hinge? 



Were you able to get this saw to perform well? Or did it have too many problems? I got this for $80 Craigslist and have bought a lot of replacement and upgrade parts for it. Do you think it'll make a decent saw or is it not worth putting money into?


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## Retired HVAC (Sep 8, 2019)

Nice to hear back from you.
I'll use the parts descriptions from the O+M I uploaded to this site in referring to parts.
If you look closely at the Slide Bracket (#16) you will see the pivot pins on Alignment Bracket (#19) tore out on the right side. The material choice and amount of material in that area are not strong. I made the blocks to provide new places for #19 to pivot. I will admit I never ran this modification, but it seems pretty sound. I would recommend a much larger washer to spread the pressure that will be exerted by the hex head screw on part #19. The small heads may pull through. The small aluminum blocks may also strip out the threads. If this mod had worked, and failed that way, I would try again and make the blocks out of steel.

When you mention a riser are you changing this saw's cutting height capacity by adding an extension between the Base (#34) and Upper Frame (#1)? That would be cool.

On this saw's performance: 
> I always felt the tension was never enough. Probably why I kept breaking the Slide Bracket. But I temper that argument with the fact that I know about tightening things and never felt I was over-stressing the saw or blades. 
> I was not a big user of this tool. I never spent the time to true it up.
> The design is OK. Heavy castings / ball bearings / etc. When you think about what needs to happen in running a band saw blade true this saw has the capability and good “bones”. The wheels run true and consistent. Many speed choices. The blade guides assemblies are OK; maybe a little too light-weight. Maybe a retro-fit to ball-bearings on all three side of the blade would solve that weakness? There are a bunch of these saws out there and I bet others have designed up-grade parts. 
> As I mentioned before the tensioning is the weak point. I would turn and turn, and the spring would seem to load up the blade tension. But the blade would still wander. The blades I used were the ones that came with the saw (give-away at my old job) and may have been junk.
> I am not sure what the next step would be if you are not pleased with the performance. This saw is virtually identical to the “base-model” saws for sale today. Check what others are reviewing on those saws to gauge it’s potential. I think the next step would be $1k+ saws. Ouch!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The mother of neccessity .......*

That there is some clever engine-uity: :smile2:











Guys with metal lathes like me, don't appreciate what we have when it comes to simple operations like this until we see what others have to do to get the same results. Great job on this!


It's a darn shame manufacturers use die cast pot metal where they should use a machined part. Yes, it's always about the cost, but then it falls back on the purchaser when things break. I have used a bandsaw with a wood cutting blade to cut aluminum stock just like a milling machine, but there are limits of course. I have probably "modified" more stock parts to beef them up or even remake them than I care to remember. 



:vs_cool:


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## Retired HVAC (Sep 8, 2019)

Hello; thanks for the kind words! You fellows with the right tools are very lucky, indeed. I not only lack the tools; I have also always lacked the real estate to put them in.
Here is a photo of another part that I repaired for the Dayton bandsaw that I thought turned out pretty good. One of my better "slotting" attempts on the patch plate using drills and a jigsaw.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Retired HVAC - very nicely done - and very professional looking.
I think the blade guides are crucial to the accurate operation of the machine.
good job !

.

.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

*Mini Lathe*

WoodnThings: I did not fully comprehend the photo of the drill until you
mentioned it, and I zoomed into it. . . . . very ingenious, HVAC !!!


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