hi, i have a 10" delta band saw that broke the little plastic gear that raises and lowers the blade guard, i forgot to loosen the lock knob and went to change hieght and cracked the gear. the part has been discontinued and cant find anyplace. anyone have a broken/parts saw i could get the gear to fix mine. thanks for any help, john.

Find your self a used, older (20yrs+) bandsaw; 14" are most common, some 10" & 12" are around. Delta, Walker Turner, Craftsman, Powermatic, Duro are some good names. You'll get a saw that will last a lifetime, NO plastic parts.
Join the site Old WoodWorking Machines-(OWWM)-http://www.owwm.org/
and look around at some of the machines at VintageMachinery.org | Welcome (http://vintagemachinery.org/)
which is the "mothership" of OWWM. Some really cool machines and rebuilds done there. Great bunch(22,230) of people with a huge knowledge base.
Or, I have a 4"x 10" Craftsman that I'll let go in the next month or so after I get done restoring my '46 Walker Turner 12".

thanks for the tips. i like the look of the new machines but i think that the advice about buying an older one is spot on! i'll check out that site, as far as the "rebuilds" go, do they still make parts for most of those older ones or easier to find parts machines or just they never break and just need cleaning and tuning? thanks for your time, john.