My father, Bill Boyle, purchased his Mark V system in 1981. He added some accessories that included the band saw.
My dad was a very skilled woodworker and was involved with industrial hardware for many years. He was also a Shopsmith "Good Neighbor." In 2002, he passed away and as the eldest son, all his wonderful woodworking tools passed to me, including the Mark V.
As a child he was quite willing to show me how things worked, however, once I became an adult and went my own way, I had little opportunity to see him operate the Shopsmith equipment. "His" Shopsmith has been covered and moved around in the garage by me since his death and I have not been ready to get into it until now to figure the system out. The old manual was not helpful very much. Why did it take so long. Well, my dad made jigs for so many things and toiled making them precise that I've been reluctant to toss them out not knowing what they were used for. Some may have been for specific projects--unknown to me--and others may have been designed to facilitate Shopsmith operation. Not sure. He was a man that created tools and modified existing ones. He left me with puzzling "pieces parts."
I have often muttered, "what the heck is this for." 
The Mark V unit is in great physical shape. The aluminum top guard, splitter and under table guard are not in place for lack of the extension that ties it all together. That piece is missing.
I'm reluctant to use the table saw without a guard system. I see that there is a new version that is a retrofit for that old unit. Will someone please tell me about the two systems, the pros and cons between the too as I either need to get a new extension piece to assemble the old guards or update the Mark V to today's standards. Thanks you.
Bill Boyle
