How much bar oil is correct?

[Donnarshmr]

Both my saws have adjustable oilers. So far, I'm following the factory recommendations for which setting to use for a given bar length but I am wondering if there's a way to tell if the amount of oil is actually correct. When the saws first came, they were set to the medium oil output. I ran that way for a while and didn't seem to have any problems and the chips and fines coming out of the cut were damp enough with oil to clump up and stick to things but they weren't outright wet. Eventually, I noticed the manual said to run the oiler at max output for the length of bar I'm using, so I turned it up. The saw behaves no differently now and cuts just the same. However, the chips and fines are noticeably wetter now and it makes oozy wet goo inside the clutch cover and in the groove on the bar now (before the mess in there was tacky and stuck to things but was sort of dry looking).

So, how do you know when the you're using the right amount of bar oil. I imagine this changes with cutting conditions, so knowing how to spot the correct output would be useful.

 

[alderman]

I run all of mine wide open. A little extra doesn't hurt anything.

 

[windthrown]

I run mine all wide open as well, but I also use Canola oil, so its all bio-cool.

 

[1Alpha1]

I'm beginning to believe that the screw that adjusts the flow or rate of oil, doesn't do a damn thing, except make you think you are controlling it.

I'm convinced that the oiler is set at the factory for a given flow rate and you can't do a thing about it.

 

[Donnarshmr]

I run all of mine wide open. A little extra doesn't hurt anything.

Doesn't even begin to answer the question.

I run mine all wide open as well, but I also use Canola oil, so its all bio-cool.

Doesn't even begin to answer the question.

I'm beginning to believe that the screw that adjusts the flow or rate of oil, doesn't do a damn thing, except make you think you are controlling it. I'm convinced that the oiler is set at the factory for a given flow rate and you can't do a thing about it.

Sadly, I can believe big corporations would try to pull that. However, there's definitely a difference in how much mess the 562 makes between the Medium and High output settings.

 

[windthrown]

Oh, we are being graded for our responses now? What a load of BS...

 

[Donnarshmr]

Oh, we are being graded for our responses now? What a load of BS...

Given that you didn't even try to answer the question... F minus!

 

[Del_]

Oh, we are being graded for our responses now? What a load of BS...

A brush with the ape?

 

[treesmith]

Both my saws have adjustable oilers. So far, I'm following the factory recommendations for which setting to use for a given bar length but I am wondering if there's a way to tell if the amount of oil is actually correct. When the saws first came, they were set to the medium oil output. I ran that way for a while and didn't seem to have any problems and the chips and fines coming out of the cut were damp enough with oil to clump up and stick to things but they weren't outright wet. Eventually, I noticed the manual said to run the oiler at max output for the length of bar I'm using, so I turned it up. The saw behaves no differently now and cuts just the same. However, the chips and fines are noticeably wetter now and it makes oozy wet goo inside the clutch cover and in the groove on the bar now (before the mess in there was tacky and stuck to things but was sort of dry looking).

So, how do you know when the you're using the right amount of bar oil. I imagine this changes with cutting conditions, so knowing how to spot the correct output would be useful.

not sure how accurate a science this needs to be

There seems to be one or two methods
1. leave it at a low setting and turn it up if it gets too hot and/or jams, though seems a bit silly to prematurely wear a bar chain for the sake of a bit more oil
2. Compare your bar size to max bar length and take a rough guess
3. Set it to max and turn it down if it makes a mess

We have Stihl 660s at work with 25" cutting hardwood, oiler set to max as standard, same for 461, same for 201t, 395xp 576xp, 365

This probably didn't answer your question either

I wrote out a pretty sarcastic piss take reply but then deleted it and wrote out the above, shame, it was pretty bloody funny

 

[nk14zp]

Yer oiler is set right when you have the least amount of wear compared to oil use.

 

[TRTermite]

Be Like the Auto mechanic at a Trade School my brothers went to .. He Read that you didn't need to change oil in his car as often with the "NEW" synthetic oil he firmly believed in..
Long Story made Short...
He changed oil at 30, 000 miles and changed engines at 52.00 miles.
BOOKS TRUMP Common sense every time.
( I believe in books but you need to know the credence behind the Author)

 

[mohick]

crank er wide open should run out about the same time fuel does, give or take a little more is always better, to cover dry dead wood and other variables. and also bar oil is cheap compaired to bars and chains.been doing it for 50 years never worried about a little mess. oily chips makes great fire starter

 

[Franny K]

I use a few different techniques for the saws I have that have three position oilers. Maybe other saws have fully adjustable oilers.
1) the sound of the chain might be a bit noisy
2) pull the drive links out of the bar slot and rub them against the near side bar slot maybe I am imagining it but it seems I can see a bit of oil getting scraped into a bit of a tiny pile. Or not.
3) how long it takes oil to fly off the end after a long cut

There really isn't one ideal setting in my estimation it depends on whether I am essentially cutting brush or using the whole bar.

Some other things that might apply that I do not use

a) how smeared out the bottom of the tie straps are by the time the chain is used up.
b) how much the compressed length vs the stretched length is when the chain is used up or if there is still usable tooth.

 

[nk14zp]

I use a few different techniques for the saws I have that have three position oilers. Maybe other saws have fully adjustable oilers.
1) the sound of the chain might be a bit noisy
2) pull the drive links out of the bar slot and rub them against the near side bar slot maybe I am imagining it but it seems I can see a bit of oil getting scraped into a bit of a tiny pile. Or not.
3) how long it takes oil to fly off the end after a long cut

There really isn't one ideal setting in my estimation it depends on whether I am essentially cutting brush or using the whole bar.

Some other things that might apply that I do not use

a) how smeared out the bottom of the tie straps are by the time the chain is used up.
b) how much the compressed length vs the stretched length is when the chain is used up or if there is still usable tooth.

Good points.

 

[alderman]

Doesn't make sense to burn up a $50 bar and $20 dollar chain to save an ounce of oil.

 

[MnSam]

My dad always had it set to empty the oil tank and fuel tank at about the same time. That's where I set mine on the stock saws. I'm usually running 16-20" bars

 

[c5rulz]

The oiler is set right when it runs out of gas just before it runs out of oil. Nuff said, The trolling is heavy is in this thread.

 

[Donnarshmr]

The oiler is set right when it runs out of gas just before it runs out of oil. Nuff said, The trolling is heavy is in this thread.

That makes no sense. If that were the only deciding factor, then the oiler would need set exactly the same for every different bar length and wood type and that's clearly not true.

Franny K's post is the one that was the most helpful but a lot of that is stuff you won't be able to tell until you've worn parts quite a bit.

 

[MnSam]

I feel like you are making this harder than it needs to be.

 

[merc_man]

More the better. Bar oil is cheap. Bars are expensive.

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