Sorry about quality of pics,
Well, if your edges are as fuzzy as those photos . . .
You need a little more hook.
More cowbell . . .
Hard to tell much from those photos.
But, . . . if I received a chain like that at
Philbert's No-Kill Chain Shelter, here is what I would be tempted to do:
- clean out the gullets - they don't add much to cutting ability (carry and clean out chips), but it will make your hook
look deeper;
- check that both the top plate and side plate edges are sharp (you said yours are) and consistent;
- round over the depth gauges - when they are ground/filed flat, there is a possibility that the cutter will tip up onto the far, sharp, point of the depth gauge, making it seem higher than it is, as well as digging in, instead of sliding along the wood;
- make sure each rivet pivots freely - maybe add a drop of 3-In-One oil to each link (works like magic!).
Philbert