What Oilers Are You Using?

[820wards]

I was wondering what type of oilers do your guys who are building bike saws use? Are they manual pumps?

jerry-

 

[romeo]

I have done it two ways. The first is gravity fed but its a PITA since you almost always forget to turn it off and sometimes forget to turn it on. The second and preferable way is to have a reservoir tank that sits lower than the bar and pressurize it from the belly of the pipe with a 1/4" tube.

 

[820wards]

I have done it two ways. The first is gravity fed but its a PITA since you almost always forget to turn it off and sometimes forget to turn it on. The second and preferable way is to have a reservoir tank that sits lower than the bar and pressurize it from the belly of the pipe with a 1/4" tube.

The reason I'm asking is that I'm building a mill that will have a 820 PowerBee motor which has no provisions for an internal oiler. This motor makes good HP/torque at lower RPM's with the option of stroking the motor to 10c.i. Do you think the tank would be hanging too low and too large for a milling setup as I would get close to the ground?

I also had the idea of using a rear disk brake master cylinder from a motorcycle or a small clutch master cylinder from a small Japanese import as a manual oiler at the operators side of the mill using a remote oil tank. I'll drip feed the bar nose. Has anyone ever tried using a small master cylinder as a manual oiler? This option would allow me to fab a larger oil tank for long mill runs.

I do like the idea of using the exhaust stroke to pulse oil to the chain, less chance of forgetting to manually oil the bar. Do you use a valve to turn the oil off between running?

Thanks for the info.

jerry-

 

[romeo]

The reason I'm asking is that I'm building a mill that will have a 820 PowerBee motor which has no provisions for an internal oiler. This motor makes good HP/torque at lower RPM's with the option of stroking the motor to 10c.i. Do you think the tank would be hanging too low and too large for a milling setup as I would get close to the ground?

I also had the idea of using a rear disk brake master cylinder from a motorcycle or a small clutch master cylinder from a small Japanese import as a manual oiler at the operators side of the mill using a remote oil tank. I'll drip feed the bar nose. Has anyone ever tried using a small master cylinder as a manual oiler? This option would allow me to fab a larger oil tank for long mill runs.

I do like the idea of using the exhaust stroke to pulse oil to the chain, less chance of forgetting to manually oil the bar. Do you use a valve to turn the oil off between running?

Thanks for the info.

jerry-

As long as gravity makes you have to push oil up you do not need a shutoff valve. A quiet exhaust would even work better IMO to pressurize the tank.

If I were going to use a master cylinder I would look at one from a motorcycle before a small car. I am not much for manuel oilers though, I always hated them on saws.

Another idea is one my father in law came up with for his band mill, he uses a windshield washer pump to oil the band with. He uses regular bar oil and mixes it down with diesel to adjust the flow rate.

 

[820wards]

As long as gravity makes you have to push oil up you do not need a shutoff valve. A quiet exhaust would even work better IMO to pressurize the tank.

If I were going to use a master cylinder I would look at one from a motorcycle before a small car.

** I was thinking they would be easier to pump than a car master cylinder.

I am not much for manual oilers though, I always hated them on saws.

** My old Wards 820 has a manual oiler and the longer the bar the more you have to pump oil.

Another idea is one my father in law came up with for his band mill, he uses a windshield washer pump to oil the band with. He uses regular bar oil and mixes it down with diesel to adjust the flow rate.

** He must use a motorcycle battery to run the pump. Good idea!

Finally got back to working on my mill today after the holidays and it's coming along great. We had a big storm hit the SF Bay Area and I used my saws for cutting up neighbors limbs that broke out of their trees and I even had to cut up two neighbors tree that went down with the wind. Thanks again for you help. When my mill is done I'll post some pictures.

jerry-

1

 

[PES+]

You can use a duckbill valve and pressurize the oil tank from the crankcase pressure.

Reed motors always have substantial positive pressure pulses in the crankcase.

There were tons of oilers set up this way.....the original Homelite XL and super 2 being cases in point.