Chasing your tail" is right, but a quarter turn is rarely enough. You want to feel a bit of resistance when you start turning the barrel, then stop as soon as the shifting feels crisp. If you go past that, you're already over-tightening.

You're right about the oven temp being the real culprit. I've had recipes work fine after swapping ingredients, but a bad oven reading will wreck anything. Those baking rules aren't always as solid as they claim.