Our experience with Bar/Chain oil alternatives

I hate how much oil spreads in the environment when doing forestry, and bar/chain oil is EXPENSIVE!  So this year we switched cold turkey to vegetable oil.  At something like $3/gallon from Costco, we've saved LOADS switching over.  (You'd save even more if you were recycling a spent cooking oil!)   I'm happy knowing that I'm not spreading petroleum oil all over when I do chainsaw work- especially that I'm not getting any on myself when I work or fill the oil!  And best of all, between 4 chainsaws that got extremely heavy use this year (12", 14", 16", 28"), we saw zero problems with using vegetable oil.  It goes a smidge faster than regular b/c oil, but we are still just filling the oil tank every time we fill the gas tank.  We just end up filling the oil with a little more than usual.  

We love it and will never go back!  Hopefully this post helps a few others to convert as well :D

Edit: Sometimes it starts smelling like a fast food joint when you're working the chainsaw hot!  lol!

That's great news Jen!

I love this idea, but have a few questions before I could be comfortable switching myself:

How long ago did you switch, and what's your regular weekly/monthly average usage time?

How's the "gunk accumulation" - increased or decreased over trad. oil?

I long ago gave up using bar and chain oil. In fact I am not even sure when I last bought a gallon of it...maybe 10 years ago.

I buy anything that is cheap. Most times that is hydraulic oil because I can buy 5 gallons of it for $18. Bar and chain oil is almost $10 per gallon.

But any oil works because while bar and chain oil is tacky, it really does not make a bar or chain last any longer. A chain is $24, and a bar is $50....big deal. I can get 40 or 50 cords on a chain, and 150-200 cords on a bar. At $70 per cord for wood (averaged), that $125 in consumable parts for $10,500 in wood. Bar and chain oil is just not worth the expense because a person ends up using super expensive oil to protect something that is dirt cheap.

The USDA Forest Service has an article about using vegetable oil.  According to that site, some countries don't allow petroleum based oils to be used as bar oil for chainsaws.  It sounds like vegetable oil is a great alternative.

Vegetable Oil for Chain Saws

Only problem I've had with vegetable oil is that in summer it gets to be too thin, so I'll switch back to B&C oil or do a 50/50 mix.
In the winter, I actually prefer using vegetable oil because it flows better.

I should mention that not all cooking oil is the same. What I buy at the co-op is not going to be the same as what I buy at the chain grocery store.

Now I assume most on this site know this but it worth mention, be careful and buy good oil you wouldn't mind on your land.

I have a chinese ( probably or maybe polish or assembled in poland) Stihl replica chainsaw that i paid 45 dollars on it brand new 2 years ago and i never used bar and chain oil ,only old and used motor oil that came from car oil change.
Works great and ive really put it to hard work ,to cut tree stumps at ground level with soil dulling the chain offten,big trees ,etc.
The chain its also chinese .
As one of my friends said ,,it was cheaper than an axe,, ,literally.
But in an expensive chainsaw i would use only bar and chain oil from the shop.

Trace Oswald wrote:The USDA Forest Service has an article about using vegetable oil.  According to that site, some countries don't allow petroleum based oils to be used as bar oil for chainsaws.  It sounds like vegetable oil is a great alternative.

Vegetable Oil for Chain Saws

So the Forest Service website has moved, and they didn't bother to include this article in the new website. But while archive.org does have a copy, I found out that there's an external copy of the article in another website.

(I only got here due to today's daily. I have zero experience with chainsaws.)

Te article seems to refer to vegetable oil BASED lubricants, not vegetable oil one gets from a grocery store. Any thoughts?

Mihai Ilie wrote:I have a chinese ( probably or maybe polish or assembled in poland) Stihl replica chainsaw that i paid 45 dollars on it brand new 2 years ago and i never used bar and chain oil ,only old and used motor oil that came from car oil change.
Works great and ive really put it to hard work ,to cut tree stumps at ground level with soil dulling the chain offten,big trees ,etc.
The chain its also chinese .
As one of my friends said ,,it was cheaper than an axe,, ,literally.
But in an expensive chainsaw i would use only bar and chain oil from the shop.

I've seen warnings about disposing of used auto oil, to be careful about skin contact as it becomes carcinogenic after it has broken down inside an engine and washed out with all of the residue in there. Not sure about the veracity of this claim but it sounds like something you really don't want flinging off your chain all over the place...

The last large city I lived in claimed to take reclaimed used oil and filter it down to some basic elements that could be reused.

I love this!  There is no reason to not use vegetable oil.  Now that I think of it, I recall a niche product on the market years ago (not sure if it is still around) where they added gourmet mushroom spores of various species to a vegetable oil so that the chainsaw dust was inoculated with mushrooms as you cut.  One could probably make a homemade version with vegetable oil and locally harvested spores.  I am not certain how successful this method is at growing mushrooms, but I haven't yet found a situation where a pile of wood chips would not benefit from a few extra fungal organisms!

Coydon Wallham wrote:

Mihai Ilie wrote:I have a chinese ( probably or maybe polish or assembled in poland) Stihl replica chainsaw that i paid 45 dollars on it brand new 2 years ago and i never used bar and chain oil ,only old and used motor oil that came from car oil change.
Works great and ive really put it to hard work ,to cut tree stumps at ground level with soil dulling the chain offten,big trees ,etc.
The chain its also chinese .
As one of my friends said ,,it was cheaper than an axe,, ,literally.
But in an expensive chainsaw i would use only bar and chain oil from the shop.

I've seen warnings about disposing of used auto oil, to be careful about skin contact as it becomes carcinogenic after it has broken down inside an engine and washed out with all of the residue in there. Not sure about the veracity of this claim but it sounds like something you really don't want flinging off your chain all over the place...

The last large city I lived in claimed to take reclaimed used oil and filter it down to some basic elements that could be reused.

My neighbor uses only his own used oil and filters it.

Used motor oil is full of nasties and heavy metals that shouldn’t be in the woods. Just don’t use that- use veggie oils.

I don't think I believe vegetable oil does more than waste vegetable oil because there is no way it's going around the sprocket....  I mean I have my lil' 18" electric saw in my work truck that I always forget to fill the bar oil in (cause you never have to fill the gas!) and even that thing will let me know. And the chain on that looks to spin at like half the speed of a gas saw. Actually though, that makes me think. Maybe an electric wouldn't fling the oil off right away?

I would never put vegetable oil in my saw personally. That's my baby, the only tool I anthropomorphize.

Dude! I would love to get some of that shroom oil though!

I think the original point has been forgotten.
Vege oil was used to stop spreading fossil based oils around the forest or over the ground on his property.

John C Daley wrote:I think the original point has been forgotten.
Vege oil was used to stop spreading fossil based oils around the forest or over the ground on his property.

I've used this stuff successfully https://renewablelube.com/products/bio-pro-bar-chain-lubricant , locally it's $10 a bottle. Some technical details as well: https://renewablelube.com/assets/files/tds/2M-Bio-Pro-Bar-Chain-BBC-Oils_2022-02-17-171109_qnfg.pdf

Some of this might depend on what you're cutting. I'm in conifer land where sap builds up really quick so the oils here need to not just lubricate but also break down sap. I use olive oil on my dog's paws for that, but it takes a bit of time. Some oils move a little quicker for that.

Mushroom bar oil...

Rick Hatchh wrote:Mushroom bar oil...

Dude that's hilarious !!!

IF you nick a tree will it sprout mushrooms?

Well, if you nick a bunch of downed trees, bucking them up, they may indeed sprout mushrooms.

The variety of mushrooms to be inoculated is up to the chainsaw-iste. I hope they won't indulge in the final product while the work is being done.

USED MOTOR OIL FROM A SINGLE OIL CHANGE
CAN RUIN A MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER
— A YEAR’S SUPPLY FOR 50 PEOPLE.
Used motor oil is insoluble, persistent and can
contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. It’s
slow to degrade. It sticks to everything from beach
sand to bird feathers. Used motor oil is a major
source of oil contamination of waterways and can
result in pollution of drinking water sources

- EPA

Dan Fish wrote:I don't think I believe vegetable oil does more than waste vegetable oil because there is no way it's going around the sprocket....  I mean I have my lil' 18" electric saw in my work truck that I always forget to fill the bar oil in (cause you never have to fill the gas!) and even that thing will let me know. And the chain on that looks to spin at like half the speed of a gas saw. Actually though, that makes me think. Maybe an electric wouldn't fling the oil off right away?

I would never put vegetable oil in my saw personally. That's my baby, the only tool I anthropomorphize.

Where is the application point that releases the oil? Is it supposed to lube the contact between the chain and sprocket, the rollers on the chain, contact between the chain and log, some or all of the above? How reliable is the 'oil test' of running the saw and looking for fling at the end of the bar?

I'm thinking of trying to run some veg oil, but then I'm also thinking that if I use some cheap GMO canola/corn oil I'm feeding money to the monster. What would be the best, inexpensive, well sourced oil with characteristics that fit chainsaw use?

Very interesting topic in here. I like the idea of not spraying oil all over my homestead. Might give this a try in our Canadian winter shortly.

This is a very good topic and im glad i just happened upon it.Any oil will work for a chainsaw chain,or any chain for that matter.You can use fish oil if you like,or that gooey stuff a chicken preens its feathers with.The intention of oil on a chain is to keep it cool and clean while giving some water resistance to prevent water penetrating the link rollers and creating rust.

If you use a thin oil such as vegetable oil you might need to use more than if you use the industry standard bar oil with tack agents.The only thing you need to be sure of is to make sure your chain is running cool and clean,hot chains get tight and cause increased wear on the chain, the bar and sprocket bearings.If your chain is dirty it causes teeth to get hot and soften, dulling them faster and creating more friction.All of these thing causes more fuel consumption and wear on all parts of your saw.

Chains,bars and saws are not expensive considering the work they do but if you make sure to use enough oil it will definitely extend the life on all of them and make your life easier as well,possibly extending yours.

I seen a post that big gov has had some insight on oil as well,any idiot that knows oil dont mix with water can see its harmful for the water supply and all life that depends on that water,its more of a matter of quantity thats harmful.If you drive an older model car it will most likely drip more oil into the water supply than a land owners chainsaw use.

Having said that,that shroom oil has got to be good stuff!

Shookeli Riggs wrote:If you use a thin oil such as vegetable oil you might need to use more than if you use the industry standard bar oil with tack agents.

My saws have automatic oilers that don't appear to be adjustable. How is it possible to use more oil?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

Shookeli Riggs wrote:If you use a thin oil such as vegetable oil you might need to use more than if you use the industry standard bar oil with tack agents.

My saws have automatic oilers that don't appear to be adjustable. How is it possible to use more oil?

Smaller saws generally do not have adjustable oilers. Larger saws typically have one that adjusts with a flat head screwdriver and looks like a screw. It will usually have some symbol beside it to indicate which way to turn it for more or less.

You may also notice the oil runs out before the fuel does as the saw is regulated for a heavier oil.

Shookeli Riggs wrote:You may also notice the oil runs out before the fuel does as the saw is regulated for a heavier oil.

Okay,  thanks for clarifying. I sort of thought that was what you meant.

(And thanks for the info Jordan; I've heard of that oiler adjustment but never seen one.)

If canola oil wasn't so darn expensive, I might try it. But then I do my cutting in winter, and I'm not sure how the Stihl would like it.

I would bring up that I am pretty sure I have had one chainsaw oiler broken by vegetable oil. It was an electric one with a plastic gear that stripped due to getting gummed up. Replacements were not available, so unless you have the tools to do this: https://permies.com/t/157054/pep-metalworking/Metalworking-Badge-Oddball-Thread#1356563 using vegetable oil is not without its risks and can be a costly choice. I discussed it further here: https://permies.com/t/172827/vegetable-oil-damage-chainsaw#1356201

Shookeli Riggs wrote:,hot chains get tight and cause increased wear on the chain, the bar and sprocket bearings.!

Heat expands metal making chains get loose and loose chains are very damaging to the rest of the saw, not to mention dangerous due to slippage and possibility to be thrown.

Shookeli Riggs wrote:

I seen a post that big gov has had some insight on oil as well,any idiot that knows oil dont mix with water can see its harmful for the water supply and all life that depends on that water,its more of a matter of quantity thats harmful.

Yes, and the point of the EPA post is not about idiots and oil mixing with water , but rather

USED MOTOR OIL FROM A SINGLE OIL CHANGE
CAN RUIN A MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER
— A YEAR’S SUPPLY FOR 50 PEOPLE.

which is the "matter of quantity" that you mention, seems pretty important to me and not something every idiot knows, especially the ones lazy with their oil changes.