Can You Use a Chainsaw Without Bar Oil?

A chainsaw is one of the most common tools in any home DIY kit. You must use it well so it will perform its tasks perfectly without issues. For example, part of using it effectively is knowing how important it is to use or not use bar oil on it.

It is not advised to use a chainsaw without bar oil. If you mistakenly use your chainsaw without bar oil, power it off immediately and apply the oil.

There are consequences you don’t want if you use your chainsaw without bar oil, and these will be discussed in detail. Also, we’ll discuss the alternatives you can use as bar oil.

Using A Chainsaw Without Bar Oil

You should never use your chainsaw without bar oil for any reason. Even when you need to use the chainsaw urgently but don’t have bar oil, you would best wait or find oil so you can use it. If you go ahead with using it without the oil, you run the risk of facing undesired consequences both for you and for the chainsaw.

Why Use Bar Oil?

The main purpose of using bar oil on a chainsaw is to lubricate it and make it function perfectly. Without this lubrication, the machine functions haphazardly and poses a risk to the user.

Dangers Of Using Chainsaw Without Bar Oil

We have seen that bar oil helps with lubrication and the functioning of a chainsaw. But what are the possible consequences of not using it? The consequences are an increase in Kickback, wear and tear to the chain and bar, an increase in engine load, and increased chances of chain failure.

Increased Kickback

Kickback of chainsaw happens when the machine is thrown upwards and backward towards the operator while cutting. This can prove to be dangerous to the user.

Without sufficient bar oil, the friction on the chain increases, and this leads to an increase in the rate of kickback. For an unsuspecting operator, this could potentially lead to fatal injuries.

Increased chances of chain failure

Another consequence of using chainsaws without bar oil is that the chain can cut at any time. The chain of a chainsaw is linked together just like the chain of a bicycle. These links wear out after long use and can break when worn out. However, applying sufficient lubrication in the form of bar oil ensures that the chain moves freely and doesn’t heat up.

In the absence of chain oil, friction increases the wear and tear on the chain. 

Asides from breaking, chain failure could mean the chain seizing in the machine and causing damage to the engine. Lastly, there is the safety risk involved in the chain breaking mid-use. Although chainsaws have a chain catch that is meant to reduce injury if the chain flies off, it might not be enough if the chain breaks while you are using it.

Increase in engine load

When there is no sufficient lubrication in the chain, the engine has to take up more work. This leads to the engine doing more work than it is meant to do and can cause engine failure in the long run.

Increased Wear and tear

If you don’t apply bar oil to your chainsaw, the heat and friction increase to uncomfortably high levels. This makes the chain teeth, li, links, and drivers of the machine go through wear and tear that wouldn’t be there if there was bar oil applied.

Eventually, you would have to replace both the chain and the bar because of wear and tear. This could be prevented just by using bar oil as you should.

Alternatives To Bar Oil

Chainsaw bar oils are sold separately from every other lubrication oil. This is because of the special features an oil has to have to be able to do the job on a chainsaw.

But what happens if you can’t get a chainsaw bar oil and need to use the machine? Well, you can utilize some alternatives. While these alternatives aren’t meant for long-term use on your chainsaw, they work well enough when you only need them for single use.

These alternatives are:

Motor oil

This is the alternative that is closest to chainsaw bar oil and it works closely enough to how the latter works. However, it is not as sticky as chainsaw bar oil so it will fly off the bar and chain easily. This will make a mess and also require you to refill the bar oil reservoir more often.

Hydraulic oil

Hydraulic oil is somehow similar to automobile motor oil in composition and functionality. However, it is thinner and therefore will dry off faster than motor oil. One thing you should note in using hydraulic oil is that only the fresh oil will work well. Draining hydraulic oil from an engine and using it as chainsaw bar oil could be disastrous for your chain and the environment while using it. However, you can still use used oils by filtering them.

Vegetable oil

Are you surprised? Vegetable oil (and other cooking oils) can also be used as a chainsaw bar oil. However, they are not viscous enough so they will easily fly off the bar. Despite this, they can work as an alternative of last resort when you have no other options. One advantage is that you can easily get those, or even have one lying around in the house so you’ll probably have one available at all times. Unlike the other alternatives, it is safe for the environment and doesn’t give off fumes.

All these alternatives to chainsaw bar oil are meant for use in rare situations. Using them regularly could have the same consequences as not using bar oil at all in the long run.

Conclusion

Whenever you want to use your chainsaw, you should ensure that its bar oil container is filled up. Even if you don’t have the regular chainsaw bar oil and can’t get it at short notice, use one of the alternatives. This is because using a chainsaw without oil consistently could spoil the machine.