Chainsaw oil

Bar and chain oil is formulated to be sticky, so that it won't be slung off of the chain in the first five seconds of operation. Anything as thin as cooking oil won't stay on the chain long enough to provide adequate lubrication. You'll probably wind up using *ten* times as much.

And it won't be high-temperature stable, either. It'll probably smoke like a chimney as soon as the chain starts to heat up from cutting. Burnt oil does not lubricate well.

If you still want to try it... wear a raincoat.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

Butchers use a chainsaw to cut a cow in half before hanging. They use vegetable oil in the saw (tastes better than oil). Doug is right that it won't stick to the chain as well, and you might go through chains and oil faster, but it will work.

Henry

Doug,

Take your point about the viscosity, not sure about the temperature as you can cook chips (fries) in it.

I don't have a raincoat so I will give it a miss.

Henry.

We use a captive bolt to kill cows in the UK. Hanging was banned about 30 years ago ( :-)

BillR

Chainsaw can generate enough heat to smoke petroleum oils...

Good decision IMO.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

It's a cowboy thing that got confused over the years. We can't hang rustlers anymore so we hang cows instead. Something to do on a Saturday night instead of cow tipping.

Henry

Come on now! Are you really turning on that much of a shoestring? There's a fine line between being frugal and being cheap-assed.

When I cross that line, I usually screw up something that costs ten times as much to fix as I would have spent doing it right in the first place.

Lubricants are formulated for specific purposes. Use them for the purpose they are intended. Your equipment will show it's appreciation by performing better and lasting longer.

Barry

Barry, You are so right. I crossed that thin line a long time ago and have screwed up enough things along the way to prove it.

Bill & Henry, Ain't it amazin how some people who cross over that wide line from Jet-Mini to Stubbly quit lubing with 'Wesson Oil' and greasing with 'I can't believe it's not butter'. Some even start using store bought tools & finishes and buy wood.

Barry, I've crossed over the line between 'happy for you' to 'mean jealousy'. A COC who can't stand knowing that you are enjoying both lathes. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Just a thought on chainsaw oil or an chainsaws in general for that matter. I have been around them for ever and used them since I was 12 or 13, for hours on end during summers from the time I was 14 or so. They are an expensive tool if you get a decent one, but a tool that endures if well cared for. They are also a good piece of engineering in which every part is designed to compliment the next. Gas oil mixtures keep the internal parts well lubricated for passage at high speeds. Chain oil undergoes a beating as it strives to keep a rappidly moving chain bearing on a flat passage. It is a precision engineered component of the saw much as is a carburetor or a spark plug. You would not use a generic spark plug and expect to get the same life out of the saw as using a manufacturer's reccomendation. Nor would you use the carburetor froma junked Chev and expect it to perform. Considering the cost of gas to make the saw run, chain oil is cheap to keep the bar working well. For that matter, chain oil is cheap compared to a new bar and chain, not to mention the wear and tear on the saw because it has to strain to overcome cheap bar oil. Save some money. Use fresh gasoline, recommended mix and good quality chain oil.

Darrell, that Chevy and its carb was probably junked because the engine oil was never changed and was run on kerosene and moth balls. I grew up with cross cut and bow saws, but I agree that SAE ND40 and vegetable oil is a very expensive substitute for bar oil....maybe Crisco or cheap generic bar oil? Or not!

If you can't lube the chain with vegetable, how about with animal? Lard oil used to be a good screw cutting lube, but it did stink.

Do I really need a disclaimer? :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Hey Arch,

I've crossed that line myself so many times it's not even funny............

By the way, I just spent a couple of hours in my shop turning winestoppers.......................on my Jet Mini.............never even turned the Stubby on today. You told me I would do that eventually. I do plan to go back to it, though!

Barry

Kerosene and mothballs? ? ? That's a new one for me. Is this a gasoline substitute?

Barry

Barry, in the early 30's kerosene was very cheap and moth balls were made of napthalene which is volatile and can form a flammable vapor. Supposedly they could be added to a model T or A ford gas tank to extend gas mileage cheaply. I've long forgotten how many moth balls per gallon. I never tried it and I doubt it really worked. Maybe somebody here knows and can add this important woodturning info. :) ***************************** I don't think there is any napthalene in today's mothballs, but __DON'T ANYONE EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING THIS.__ NAPTHALENE IS TOXIC AND ALSO A CARCINOGEN!!! (It would probably blow out your chainsaw too.) *********************************

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Thus the warning in the men's room to not eat the big mints....

Lard? It should be spread on bread with a nice slice of spam to make a tasty sandwich.

I have also been around chain saws for a long time. I have owned the same Stihl chain saw for 20 + years. Chain saws are used for more than just cutting wood. they are also used for cutting up animals, ice carving, and cutting concrete. If you want to be impressed go watch someone cut a hole in a concrete wall with a chain saw.

The oil used inside of the engine must be 2 stroke oil. The bar oil accomplishes 3 things. It lubes the bar, cleans the bar and chain, and cools the bar and chain. The oil is not on the chain long enough to penetrate the hinge points so the chain must be self lubricated for the life of the chain. The bar will ware out prematurily without proper lubrication. The oil must be viscous to the point where it provides adequate lubrication to the bar. For the chain to work properly chips, dust, sand, and grit must be removed and the chain keep clean durning cutting. This is accomplished by applying excess oil to the chain. The chain must be keep cool during cutting. This is also accomplished by applying excess oil.

A protrolium engineer has come up with a formilua for cooling, cleaning, and lubricating the chain and bar. This is the correct formula for maintaining the life of the bar and chain.

If you are using the saw for ice carving or butchering animals, the only concern is for lubrication. Vegitable oil will work and is the preferd choice. Cooling and cleaning are less of a issue and you don't want your steaks tasting like bar oil.

Do I use vegitable oil in my chain saw. No. Have I used vegitable oil. Yes to cut up a cow. And to answer the first question Yes it will work, at the expence of the bar and chain.

Henry Doolittle

Have a wonderful Easter.

As a side note a "Friend" decided to use 30 weight oil instead of 2 stroke oil. His chain saw engine lasted about 30 minutes.

Henry

Maybe my problem is the amount of oil my chainsaw is using. Both the bar oil and gas tank are similar capacities. The gas tank runs out just before the bar oil so they are using approx. the same amount. The gas is about 1 USD/litre and the bar oil 5 USD/litre.

' Consdering the cost of oil to lubricate the bar, the cost of gas to run it is cheap.'

Is this a regional cost problem or is my saw an oil junkie.

BillR

The bar should run out of oil just after the gas. Have you tried buying oil someplace else. I get mine at the local True Value. Much cheeper.

Henry