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Chainsaw technique and oil


H F

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A quick one - I'm getting through quite a lot of chainsaw oil/lubricant on my Makita battery operated chainsaw. Each sawing session lasts about 20 mins, where I get through a 12+ logs. I have to top up the oil after three sessions. 

 

Does this have something to do with my sawing technique?  

 

The oil also mixes with the sawdust/chippings - does this need to get cleaned out more regularly?

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You’re topping the oil up once an hour..?

 

That sounds about right although it may be worth using a decent oil such as the Stihl or Oregon brand. 
 

In terms of cleaning, you should be doing that as you go and at the end of the day. 
 

How often do you sharpen the chain and what with ..? 

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I was also surprised at the rate of oil consumption on my chainsaw. You should be able to adjust the flow rate to get a sweet spot. Mine came with oil set on max flow, which meant I went through 500ml of oil in a couple weekends. Touch the chain now and again, you should have a mark of oil on your fingers, but shouldn't be wet or excessive. 

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Oil is cheap, bars and chains are not. 
 

I use Rotatech oil as it comes in 25 litre drums and it’s about £1.25 a litre. I also buy their chains but either Oregon or Husqvarna bars. 
 

Turning down oil is not something I would do - most of them are set to a correct level and it will ensure the chains don’t go dry and overheat which can soon damage the chains and the bars themselves. 

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5 hours ago, PeterW said:

You’re topping the oil up once an hour..?

 

That sounds about right although it may be worth using a decent oil such as the Stihl or Oregon brand. 
 

In terms of cleaning, you should be doing that as you go and at the end of the day. 
 

How often do you sharpen the chain and what with ..? 


I will look at buying a better quality oil. Yes, about every hour of chainsawing would be a good guesstimate. 

 

Will also clean the muck out after each use. Good tip. 
 

I sharpen the blade now when I stop getting chips when sawing and when it becomes sawdust.  I use a manual sharpener from Stihl. Will take a photo tomorrow.

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10 minutes ago, Temp said:

Every hour sounds about right to me.

 

Just a heads up.. Avoid cutting through a log into the ground. Dirt/soil really blunts chainsaw blades quickly. 

 
Agreed. That’s why I built my own sawbuck. It’s also a lot safer now.

89C661B0-EDC7-4A8D-BD7F-DE45C1817733.jpeg

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4 hours ago, PeterW said:

Oil is cheap, bars and chains are not. 
 

I use Rotatech oil as it comes in 25 litre drums and it’s about £1.25 a litre. I also buy their chains but either Oregon or Husqvarna bars. 
 

Turning down oil is not something I would do - most of them are set to a correct level and it will ensure the chains don’t go dry and overheat which can soon damage the chains and the bars themselves. 


Can I fit a Oregon chain on a Makita saw?

 

I won’t tamper with the oil flow for now. The only reason I raised the oil is because it makes muck, but I’ll try to clean it more regularly now.

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5 hours ago, Conor said:

I was also surprised at the rate of oil consumption on my chainsaw. You should be able to adjust the flow rate to get a sweet spot. Mine came with oil set on max flow, which meant I went through 500ml of oil in a couple weekends. Touch the chain now and again, you should have a mark of oil on your fingers, but shouldn't be wet or excessive. 


Mine is oily, but not dripping or excessive. But it does get through oil, which I found odd which is why I posted here, but good hear that it’s normal.

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1 hour ago, Home Farm said:


Can I fit a Oregon chain on a Makita saw?

 

I won’t tamper with the oil flow for now. The only reason I raised the oil is because it makes muck, but I’ll try to clean it more regularly now.


Chain is chain and bars are bars - Oregon make for most brands so pretty sure it’s going to be an Oregon bar on it anyway. 
 

Depending on the Makita you have, it will use a 3/8th 1.1 or 1.3mm chain with a certain number of links. My book is at home but from memory they come with a 14” bar ..?

 

What PPE do you have for the saw ..?

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8 minutes ago, Home Farm said:


What, pray tell, does PPE stand for?

Personal protection equipment. Proper goggles,ear defenders, gloves, steel toe caps etc. For using a chainsaw then you also include the correct type of clothing that if the worst happens the chain snags in the fabric rather than your flesh and bone.

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As per @Declan52, correct PPE for a saw is helmet with face guard, ear defenders, chainsaw gloves, boots and either chaps or trousers. Overhead work I also use a Class 1 jacket. 
 

As my instructor said to me, wear that lot or wear running shoes, as a chain running at 14m/s can move faster than you .... 

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15 hours ago, PeterW said:

 

Depending on the Makita you have, it will use a 3/8th 1.1 or 1.3mm chain with a certain number of links. My book is at home but from memory they come with a 14” bar ..?

 

I can see that the bars on my saw are replaceable - so can I replace it with a longer bar and chain?

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18 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I got some chainsaw chaps on Ebay cheap (wish I got the bib and brace ones tho!), I was given some great ear defenders last Christmas with a radio built in ?

 

Do chainsaw chaps have some kind of reinforcement are they just a reinforced thread?

 

Silly question, but if I wear noise cancellation headphones, will they work?

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49 minutes ago, Home Farm said:

 

Do chainsaw chaps have some kind of reinforcement are they just a reinforced thread?

 

Silly question, but if I wear noise cancellation headphones, will they work?

 

Best using the appropriate BS approved equipment for the job. On the chainsaw, there should be a noise warning and will state the appropriate class of ear defenders required.

 

I recommend the combined hard hat / face screen / ear defenders jobs. Cheap enough from the likes of screw fix and the best for the job. Goggles / glasses aren't enough. You'll soon realise that when you have a 2" splinter or knot smash into the screen at full speed...

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96 decibels on the chainsaw... in memory serves me correctly. I have a face guard/grill. I’ll start using that.

 

This is my chainsaw oil I’ve been using. It was sold to us with the saw. It’s done now.

 

 

01015B77-41A9-4AF5-9FE1-C21BA9A38945.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said:

If you change the bar length for longer you will kill the performance, a longer bar and chain will take more power to spin at the same rpm, unless you change sprockets, don’t even think of going there it will just get over complicated for a bit of log cutting. 

 
Understood. Will keep it as it is... it’s fine for the wood we typically saw.

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