How do I get that "self feeding" back into my chain?

[miking]

Filing with that 10% lift from the side seems to help my chain feed itself in. In many instances when my chain doesn't seem to cut right that's the thing that improves it most often.

[ApexTreeService]

Get a Stihl stump vise, weld two pencil size legs on either side and sharpen, so you can drive it into sod on the job site. Clamp nose end of bar into said vise to minimize nose end deflection. Take out your Stilh file guide which keeps the correct height/position of the file, and shows you correct angle to follow, and make even pressure/angle strokes of same number on every cutter of the chain. File should drag and feel gritty, if not replace. Example, 4 strokes per tooth, both sides, same pressure, same angle as dictated by the guide (30 degrees typically). 4 strokes is a tune up, maybe even 2. If you have hit dirt, maybe 8 strokes. Rock or metal, 20-30 strokes or more. I use full chisel chain. I file the worst tooth first (count the strokes and do the same to all others), until the leading and top edge are again square and not round, the cutter should be literally razor sharp and require gloves to handle. Then, file off depth gauges with a Stihl depth gauge filing tool. Comes as a kit. This is how we did it, and taught, in the firefighter crew.

We used to file all the way down to nubs.

I have never replaced a bar on any of my saws. My MS390 I bought for tree service back in 2003 has seen many many chains, and only one bar.

If you want to take more time, measure with a micrometer the length ( distance from back of cutter to cutting edge ) of the shortest tooth after sharpened, then make all others this length, then file/adjust depth strap/gauge.

[JoeMcDaniel]

When stuck with those stupid "safety chains", the FIRST thing I do is remove a fair portion of the "bumpers".

[garyischofield]

As a 57 year old production cutter and saw racer,there are many fine points to have a chain feed smoothly,cut fast and straight. Alot of the guess work would be avoided with a closeup picture.Hell,send me the chain,I'll hand file it and send it back with what I did.It's an ongoing challenge to see how small a saw I can use without sacrificing production.I have a habit of trying to rehabilitate discarded chains by others.Some have been sharpened so poorly that the chain is worn unevenly and will never cut right..Put up a picture,I'm sure we'd get you back in shape.Practice,practice.