putting a new handle on a DT saw

[Zahid Naqvi]

I recently converted a crown brassback gents saw to a dovetail saw. Replaced the handle with a pistol grip and refiled it to rip cut. All else works fine but despite several tries I just can't get the blade perfectly alligned in the handle. It is hard to describe, but easy to illustrate. If I hold the saw in my hand the top end (farthest from the handle) is skewed slightly left, although the vertical allignment seems to be perfect. When I was cutting the slot to hold the blade and the brass back I used a marking gauge to graw the lines from both sides of the handle to even out any variations. Yet the cuts and the open mortise were still made by hand which may have contributed to the misallignment.See the image below you will notice the slightly right skew of the blade.
So how do the pros handle (pun intended) this task.

[Derek Cohen]

Zahid, are you sure that the brass/blade is straight? It looks like it bends slightly.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Zahid Naqvi]

it's a low cost point and shoot digital camera illusion :eek:
The saw is dead straight, both with and without the handle. I have checked it with a straight edge in both positions. I suspected there might have been uneven pressure from the handle, but the top mortise for the brass back is very slightly off which gets apmlified along the length of the blade. I completely understand the necessity of getting certain cuts alligned and centered, the problem is everytime I cut them (by hand) it is always off one way or the other. Is it just a matter of practice or are there more reliable techniques out there.