Waste motor oil as bar oil

[Jonny Quest]

This is one of those "I just don't get it" threads. You can spend serious money on a saw and accessories and then you want to go "cheap" on the bar oil? Really? What am I missing? Bar oil isn't free, but it's certainly quite affordable. The same goes for el cheap-o 2 stroke oil. Buy a nice saw and then go cheap on the oil? The "life blood" of the saw? No thank you. Stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.
JQ

 

[mbrick]

100% agree. I would never run used motor oil in one of my saws. I would barely even run new motor oil, maybe if I had to make a cut and didn't have bar oil with me.
Tacky bar oil is the correct answer.

 

[jakethesnake]

@mbrick not sure how to add a link but this here is what I got


pretty sure if you punch canola oil target into whatever browser you’re using it should get you where you need to be

when I ordered I think I also picked up a dozen golf balls to meet the free shipping quota. Heck I’m sure there’s something you also need from target.

 

[mbrick]

Oh, you were referring to canola oil and not bar oil. Ok, thanks... I will stick with bar oil.

 

[jakethesnake]

This is one of those "I just don't get it" threads. You can spend serious money on a saw and accessories and then you want to go "cheap" on the bar oil? Really? What am I missing? Bar oil isn't free, but it's certainly quite affordable. The same goes for el cheap-o 2 stroke oil. Buy a nice saw and then go cheap on the oil? The "life blood" of the saw? No thank you. Stepping over dollars to pick up dimes.
JQ

Agree Jonny. I think some of the guys trying to save may be using quite a bit of bar oil.

I was running hydraulic fluid in 5 gallon cans. Only reason I’m visiting canola is it’s cheaper if you use a lot of it.
If a couple gallons is all the average fella uses in a year I’d recommend bar oil from tractor supply.

my locals don’t have any bar oil in stock anywhere. They have husqvarna brand for nearly 20 a gallon but that doesn’t make sense for me.

however you have made a very good point.

 

[jakethesnake]

Walmart has bar oil for 10$ online now. Probably pretty smelly stuff but I’m sure it works fine. Never heard of the brand but it is available to ship. Pretty confident it’s recycled used oil. But it’s available if anyone is having trouble finding it

 

[OM617YOTA]

I looked for bar oil at Target too. I don't need bar oil, but at $7.5/gal I'd grab a gallon or two.

For veggie oil, $7.5/gal is in range of the average daily price at Walmart, although I prefer not to give those guys my $$$$ either.

 

[jakethesnake]

I looked for bar oil at Target too. I don't need bar oil, but at $7.5/gal I'd grab a gallon or two.

For veggie oil, $7.5/gal is in range of the average daily price at Walmart, although I prefer not to give those guys my $$$$ either.

I didn’t clarify very well. My mistake fellers

 

[camel2019]

I have use used motor oil and vegetable oil in a poulan built jonsered that I found in the free pile one day used it to mostly cut up pallets for my bonfires.

 

[alanbaker]

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2005/jul/070701.htm

Another warning - don't use black walnut sawdust in horse stalls. Local wood worker drops us off bags of sawdust and always tells us if there is black walnut in there

 

[mbrick]

$6 a gal bar oil for those nearby their stores:
https://www.ruralking.com/all-season-bar-and-chain-oil-1-gallon-80565-17431

 

[Campbellcontractlogging]

Not just your bar and chain. Also your oil pump.

Philbert

Destroys the worm gear it’s not worth it. I’ve trashed 2 saws oil pumps and worm gears like that.

 

[sb47]

Been running used oil for decades and never had an issue.
How much is an average OEM bar 40 bucks. How much is the cheapest bar oil on sale 6-7 bucks. How many gallons of the average 10 dollar oil does it take to equal a 40 dollar bar? 4 gallons. I have ran hundreds of gallons of used oil through the same saw with zero issues. At 10 bucks a gallon and 100 gallons of oil equals $1,000 At an average of 40 bucks per bar how many bars can you buy with $1,000 = 25 bars. I figure the risk of running used oil vs buying 25 bars per year puts me ahead by tens of thousands of dollars.
As for slinging the oil off, that does not equate to all the oil used. Most of the oil is dragged off by the saw dust, not slung off by the spinning chain.
If you are worried about dirty oil just use used hydraulic oil. Plenty of that can be had at any heavy equipment service center for free.

 

[HansFranz]

Been running used oil for decades and never had an issue.
How much is an average OEM bar 40 bucks. How much is the cheapest bar oil on sale 6-7 bucks. How many gallons of the average 10 dollar oil does it take to equal a 40 dollar bar? 4 gallons. I have ran hundreds of gallons of used oil through the same saw with zero issues. At 10 bucks a gallon and 100 gallons of oil equals $1,000 At an average of 40 bucks per bar how many bars can you buy with $1,000 = 25 bars. I figure the risk of running used oil vs buying 25 bars per year puts me ahead by tens of thousands of dollars.
As for slinging the oil off, that does not equate to all the oil used. Most of the oil is dragged off by the saw dust, not slung off by the spinning chain.
If you are worried about dirty oil just use used hydraulic oil. Plenty of that can be had at any heavy equipment service center for free.

Some heads gonna splode right soon

 

[jakethesnake]

Been running used oil for decades and never had an issue.
How much is an average OEM bar 40 bucks. How much is the cheapest bar oil on sale 6-7 bucks. How many gallons of the average 10 dollar oil does it take to equal a 40 dollar bar? 4 gallons. I have ran hundreds of gallons of used oil through the same saw with zero issues. At 10 bucks a gallon and 100 gallons of oil equals $1,000 At an average of 40 bucks per bar how many bars can you buy with $1,000 = 25 bars. I figure the risk of running used oil vs buying 25 bars per year puts me ahead by tens of thousands of dollars.
As for slinging the oil off, that does not equate to all the oil used. Most of the oil is dragged off by the saw dust, not slung off by the spinning chain.
If you are worried about dirty oil just use used hydraulic oil. Plenty of that can be had at any heavy equipment service center for free.

I’ve ran lots of used hydro oil. Have had no premature wear. Any oil will serve as bar oil.

 

[camel2019]

I now have a old steel stove oil can that has a mix of bar oil that came out of saws I buy and whenever I empty a jug I put it upside down and let it sit in the funnel for a while going to do the same with emptied sea30 emptied hydraulic oil and motorcycle oils. I’ve done this with emptied 10w-30 jugs for years but they go into a 5gal bucket let every last drop get used up.

 

[OM617YOTA]

If I had a shop wood stove and didn't have neighbors, I'd have a waste oil dripper in the wood stove.

 

[HansFranz]

If I had a shop wood stove and didn't have neighbors, I'd have a waste oil dripper in the wood stove.

Check out Babington burners ... thinking of making one eventually. They allow you to burn waste oil in a jet but without the need to filter (and all the problems that go along with that) ... basically, you don't even have to fish the french fries out of the oil, because they just bounce off the burner...

 

[OM617YOTA]

Check out Babington burners ... thinking of making one eventually. They allow you to burn waste oil in a jet but without the need to filter (and all the problems that go along with that) ... basically, you don't even have to fish the french fries out of the oil, because they just bounce off the burner...

I'm familiar with them, just not something that'll work for my situation. One of the commercial waste oil heaters, installed to code and insurance compliant, would be a better option for me. It's way easier and cheaper to just take my waste oil to be recycled, and run a propane heater in the shop, so that's what I do.

 

[.358 win]

My question is on synthetic 15-40 that comes from a drain of an engine.. I wanna use it,, but more than try not to.. Sure feels like bar oil.. Sticky and yucky.. My Detroit turns it black 20 miles after an oil change... An oil change equals 13 gallons of it..