I never thought about using drain oil for bar oil, but with bar oil retailing over $12 a gallon here now, drain oil is starting to sound more attractive.
Does any body else use it? Good luck / bad luck? What's your experience?
I never thought about using drain oil for bar oil, but with bar oil retailing over $12 a gallon here now, drain oil is starting to sound more attractive.
Does any body else use it? Good luck / bad luck? What's your experience?
If the manufacturers are to be believed, bar oil is designed to resist flinging off the chain better than other oils. Therefore they should lubricate better because you're losing less of it off of the end of the bar.
TSC put it's on sale for $6/gal frequently.
2016 - 36 Taps - File Cabinet Arch + Food Pans
2017 - 2.5'x10' drop flues - 3/16 Natural Vacuum - 122 Taps
2018 - 16x20 Sugar Shack - 3/16 Natural Vacuum - 235 Taps
Menards often has it on sale for 5 bucks. Just a little story. My grandpa, who was a sawmill owner for 65 years, was a 100% used oil guy. So since he was I was a used oil guy simply because grandpa knew everything . Well then he died and somehow I started using bar oil. All I can say is bars last longer and chains stay tighter with bar oil. If you don't cut all day everyday it probably doesn't matter.
I have used it for 40 years under these conditions. I have an adjustable oil feed and I max it out. Heavy weight oil works better, but cars don't use it very often. Make sure it is clean, it can plug up a system if it doesn't have a filter/screen on the pickup tube. It's a great way to recycle it!
Bar and Chain oil is a very sticky oil that will, provided it is good oil, stick to the chain and last longer than motor oil that is thin and will not provide the lubrication.
Price out a bar lately? Better sit down when you do.
As mentioned wait til it is on sale and buy the right oil for the season. Winter oil in summer time is a disaster as it will be to thin and summer oil in winter will not pump well at all.
When I was a kid my dad used drained oil and we went thru chains like crazy. Now I have a chain sharpener and files too and we will run a chain down to the safety lines. We don't use safety chains only single skips. Keep her sharp and you use a lot less oil.
Chain oil is worth the $$... I am as "frugal" as they come, just see my evaporator!! I buy it when on sale. For example this week it's 6.50/gallon at tsc, I just bought 10 gallons. Funny thing is I dropped off 6 gallons of used motor oil at the waste disposal on my way to TSC.
2018: 40 taps, 19.5l syrup
2017: 80 taps, 20 liters syrup.
2016: 40 taps, 38.5 liters maple syrup. Bonus 1 liter of Birch Syrup from 12 taps.
2015: 1st time! 13 taps, 175l sap, 8.2l syrup
Boiling on arch made from old wood furnace with 4 steam table pans
You couldn't pay me to run used oil in my saws. I don't want that nasty junk all over my hands when I have to clean up and maintain saws. Bar oil is worth the money. I cut a lot of wood every year and still only use a few gallons. It's not like you'll save $500/year switching to motor oil.
-Ryan
Went off the deep end. Might be in over my head...
The only time I use used oil is when I make up my dead of winter mix. I mix 1/4 gl of used 30 weight with 3/4 gl of summer bar oil.
Dave C.
2011 - 130 Taps
2017 - 300 Taps (all gravity)
2x8 Leader Revolution Evaporator
12x18 Sugarhouse
2021 - 350 taps
Leader Micro2 RO
Leader Clear Filter press
2023 - 390 Taps
Thanks guys. I just bought 5 gallons at $7.99 it finally went on sale.
1960 - 1970s 70 taps on galvanized buckets with Dad and Grandpa.
1970s - 1985 Acted crazy!
1986 - 2005 20-30 buckets.
2006- 2017 70 buckets and bags
2017-2019 100 bags and buckets
2020 Finally retired!!! 75 buckets, 50-75 on tubing. RO Bucket, New 12 X 16 Shack and a 42X42 flat pan.
2021-Adding another 125 taps along with a second RO bucket.
2022- Shooting for 350 taps, with 100 on lines.
Lots of Family and Friends and dogs named Skyy and Nessy!