Running a saw in water.

[steelhead kid]

Chainsaws really are one of the greatest tools ever invented.
The other day at work we had to remove some trees from a creek. I know the bar oil was not a good thing for fish, but what about the saw? We only made about ten cuts 5 second cuts, with the bar about 1/3 under water, at most. Is this going to cause the chain or anything else to rust?

 

[huskydave]

I use bio bar oil when I cut ice in the winter and take everything apart clean everything with compressed air carefully and use an oil soaked rag to wipe down all the parts such as bar clutch cover dogs etc. If you don't it could rust. You should run bio oil next time it is the right thing to do.

 

[2dogs]

It can be done if you are carefull. The bar groove can clog with chips, esp if the log is rotten. The image is me cutting a cottonwood that was laying across the river. There can be environmental concerns also, we use Stihl Bio Plus to avoid putting oil in the river. Your local fish cops can also raise hell if you are doing something they don't like.

 

[chainsawwhisperer]

Definately,eco friendly bar oil or no oil at all, water is a pretty good lube for a short time. there is a thread on this site about cutting in water with no bar oil, just the water as a lube.

 

[steelhead kid]

good stuff there.

cool pic.
I ll definatelty dry a nd oil everything tommorrrow .
Bio oil huh. I dont think our local dealer offers it. I may have my work order some. Is it safe for fish?

On the side , out of curiosity. Salt water would ba a major no no right?
Maybe theres a situation, i dont know

 

[steelhead kid]

Any reccomendations for a thread search on this topic? im coming up empty.

 

[Ray Bennett]

It can be done if you are carefull. The bar groove can clog with chips, esp if the log is rotten. The image is me cutting a cottonwood that was laying across the river. There can be environmental concerns also, we use Stihl Bio Plus to avoid putting oil in the river. Your local fish cops can also raise hell if you are doing something they don't like.

That is saw abuse, and very hard for me to look at. Please try and find a huskey for that type of behavior in the future.

 

[steelhead kid]

Yeah but can any other saw do the job.?
Isn't it ironic , we were runnin a stihl 280




uh oh , here we go.

 

[Gologit]

cool pic.
I ll definatelty dry a nd oil everything tommorrrow .
Bio oil huh. I dont think our local dealer offers it. I may have my work order some. Is it safe for fish?

On the side , out of curiosity. Salt water would ba a major no no right?
Maybe theres a situation, i dont know

We did some beach logging a few years ago and we learned one thing...salt water hates everything. No major problems or damage...just a lot of PITA extra little things to keep everything running and not rusting.

 

[2dogs]

Cutting on a beach is a real beach! A carbide chain helps. Keep the bar as short as practical due to the amount of sharpening needed. Salt water is murder on everything, you need to (at least) pull the clutch off an rinse the saw. About the only thing worse is cutting old railroad ties.

 

[Gologit]

Cutting on a beach is a real beach! A carbide chain helps. Keep the bar as short as practical due to the amount of sharpening needed. Salt water is murder on everything, you need to (at least) pull the clutch off an rinse the saw. About the only thing worse is cutting old railroad ties.

LOL...I think I'd rather cut old RR ties. I have a clapped out 032 and some old chains that I save just for that.

 

[2dogs]

We had a fire in a pile of old RR ties that were dumped prior to being stacked. IIRC there was 200 plus ties. Of course it was at night. We tried pulling ties out of the pile with a winch on our little wildland pickup but that was too slow. I ended up on one of our Homelite saws trying to cut a hole into the pile. Even with carbide chains we were only able to cut for maybe 45 minutes, until the saws gunked up and the chains were dull. A couple of the FFs ruined their bunker pants from the creosote. Nasty stuff.

BTW The family and I blew through Live Oak on 99 last week on vacation. Nice country there.

 

[chainsawwhisperer]

I searched "water as lube' and came up with this:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=28324&page=2&highlight=water+lube

Post #9 mentions it , then a few posts later someone said it was a bad idea, so who knows. Personaly I'd some type of 'safe' oil.
Canola oil was mentioned in the thread as an other option. Good luck.

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

I use bio bar oil when I cut ice in the winter and take everything apart clean everything with compressed air carefully and use an oil soaked rag to wipe down all the parts such as bar clutch cover dogs etc. If you don't it could rust. You should run bio oil next time it is the right thing to do.

 

[mbopp]

You can also do a search on using canola oil as bar lube.

 

[steelhead kid]

Biodegradable means 21 days

Stihl bio plus is definately better for the environment (forest) than regular bar oil. that i cant argue with.

But it takes 21 days to degrade. So if your using it in a creek it is still just as a harmfulas regular, I am assuming . does the term Biodegredable apply when its introduced into water?

Anybody know of an oil that would be legal in a creek or avoid fines, in case authrities question.