Chainsaw oil substitutes

[Ginger Squirrel]

Looking into the idea of using more natural oil for the chainsaw like vegetable oil.  I was going to use olive oil but realized that it goes completely solid in the cold, not sure if the other oils will do that too. I suppose I can warm it up and as the saw is used it will stay warm, or will it?  If there is some left over and it solidifies can that damage the chainsaw, like water turning into ice in an enclosed space would?

Or am I better off just sticking to the regular bar oil?  Hoping to use something that is a bit more environmentally friendly though, especially since at some point I may want to use the saw dust for things like composting etc.   Just curious what people here have tried and had good luck with.

If it matters my chainsaw is a Greenworks Pro 80v.  

[lxskllr]

I use canola. It starts to cloud at 25°F, but is still fluid. Dunno when it solidifies.

[sawguy21]

I have heard of using vegetable oil to cut large game, with the meats moisture it works but as you note it tends to solidify. Stihl and Husqvarna both offer biodegradable chain/bar lubricant, check with your supplier for cost and availability.

[Ginger Squirrel]

Never thought of a chainsaw for large game, that would actually go well with the right oil.  Although I bet it's messy and looks like a scene from Friday the 13th .

And hey Lxskllr it's Red Squirrel from the other place (in case you didn't know... that username was taken here)

Going to try canola and see if that works out better.  I don't plan to do much cutting when it's very cold but the other day I did notice the olive oil I had intention on using was solid and pretty sure it was still above freezing so maybe the canola will go a bit further.  The olive oil I have is expired which is why I was going to use it but maybe I'll save that for the summer.  I may also experiment to see if I can use it to treat wood for ground contact, not sure how well that will actually work but I suppose it's better than doing nothing.  

[lxskllr]

I figured I knew who you were  ;^)

Don't discount the olive oil just cause of the date. Give it a taste. It may still be fine. If it has gone off, I use olive oil on leather. I also use it on my cutting boards. I wouldn't use it in a chainsaw aside from an emergency. Olive oil has a lot of solids that may gum up the works over time, but if you really need oil, I'm sure it would be good enough.

Canola(rapeseed specifically) has a history of industrial and machining applications. It was a different formulation back in the day, but I imagine food grade oil is close enough. I've had no problems running it.

[Ginger Squirrel]

That's good to know then, I'll go buy canola instead.  These olive oil ones are bottles I found in the far depths of the cuboards from like 2010 so well beyond their good to cook date, but I'll find another use for it, probably treat wood for ground contact or something.  Not sure how well it will work for that but I want to avoid using toxic chemicals.

[bannerd]

All oil is toxic to the environment, plant, animal, mineral..

I wouldn't be putting anything saturated with it in a compost that you're using for farming.  Regular bar and chain oil might be a better choice.. it's thick.. sticky and less would be used overall.  You SHOULD be getting two fill ups per one tank of bar and chain oil.  Or five charges if you're using a cad saw..  Low viscosity oils you'll end up using more which would have more impact on the environment.

*popcorn*

[Northern hills]

Local Stihl dealer has vegetable based chain oil for $25.99/gallon