How to adjust the baseplate on small circular saw?

[Stephen Tashiro]

I think my Craftsman 135.27540 5 1/2 inch Circular saw is identical to the Skil HD5510.

The side edge of the baseplate on my saw isn't parallel to the face of the blade. So when I run the baseplate along a guide, the blade is cutting at an angle and it wanders or burns.

When I purchased the saw (new), the metal band with the depth adjustment slot (the one that HD5510 parts 85,86,87 slide along, it sticks up like a fin from the baseplate) was twisted and it was hard to adjust the depth of cut. However, I think this twist was what aligned the edge of the base plate and the blade. I untwisted it and this probably caused the problem.

I'd like fix the alignment without re-twisting the band, even if it means making a modification to the saw. Have any other members had experience in this matter?

It's unclear to me whether getting a new baseplate would solve anything. I'm not sure whether my saw was mis-manufactured or whether all the saws were aligned by twisting that metal band.

A even simpler question for HD5510 owners. If you hold a square across the front face of the assembly on the base plate that holds the bevel adjustment, do you find that the other arm of the square is parallel to the left edge of the base plate? On my saw, at the back of the plate, the line of the square is off the edge by about 1/16 th inch.