Circular saw drift

Question

This seems to happen on every cut I make, whatever material, width or depth of cut Clamp down guide piece. No lateral movement. Start cut flat and straight. The front of the baseplate stays tight to the guide, the rear drifts out maybe up to 1/4 inch, no matter how careful I am

Answer 1

Unplug the saw.

Drop the blade all the way down (deepest setting) and pull the guard back, exposing the blade.

Measure from the edge of the baseplate to the front of the blade, and from the edge of the baseplate to the back of the blade. Using a measuring tool with a square included (such as a combination square with a ruler as a blade) is probably the best way to get this measurement consistent. You may want to rotate the blade so that you measure to the same tooth on both ends, since tooth set will affect the measurement.

If those measurements are not the same, the saw is not lined up to the baseplate. Either the baseplate attachments can be loosened and corrected, or the baseplate can be filed to match the saw, depending on the saw design.

If those measurements are the same, it's probably worth trying a new blade, as your current blade may be damaged in a way that makes it not cut straight.