Thanks Grumpy - will go home tonight and follow your intructions. Will let you know in the next few days. Sounds easy to follow and perhaps fix, and certainly save me a few hundred dollars getting a new one.
It is an oldy but a goody - this is the first problem that i can recall and i have had it 10years or so, and i have had plenty of offers to buy it each time the blades are set and sharpened!