# Chainsawing In Winter



## Wood Wules (Jan 10, 2016)

In my little neck of the universe it is supposed to get winter cold this week. What is the lowest temperature you operate your chainsaw at without worrying something bad might happen?


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## Beer Belly (Jan 10, 2016)

I would think the Bar Oil would be an issue....not sure if guys thin it out, or what trick there is to make sure it flows.


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## Ashful (Jan 10, 2016)

I buy Stihl winter mix, for when it's cold.  It's a thinner grade of oil, specifically for very cold weather.  Most pro saws have a summer/winter switch, in the form of a baffle that changes air flow around cylinder and carb.

How cold can the saw run?  Definitely colder than I can handle.  I've been out cutting below 0F, with no problem, and it doesn't get colder than that here, very often.


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## peakbagger (Jan 10, 2016)

I expect that your comfort is the limitation on how low a temperature to run the saw. I  have run my saw in minus zero conditions and routinely run it in the range of 10 to 30 degrees. You do need to run winter grade lower viscosity bar lube. On Husky saws there is a port inside the air cleaner that pulls heated air into the carb that you swing open in cold conditions, be careful its easy to forget about it in the summer. The hassle for most folks is keeping their hands warm. Unless you have heated grips, holding onto the saw is going to tend to slow down the blood flow to your hands and they will get cold. If you do cut in the winter be ready to wear layers. It easy to start out with way too many clothes on and warm up to quick. if you dont have layers its easy get way to warm.


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## Buzz Saw (Jan 10, 2016)

There is no limit really. Do you limit operating your vehicles in subzero temperatures.  I do keep my saws, oil, and other gear in a heated garage, which makes start up easy and fast.


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## heavy hammer (Jan 10, 2016)

You will get cold before your saw does run winter mix bar oil and then run with it.  Like the others said the saw will tolerate it much easier than you be careful and try and stay warm.  Cold hands make it harder to hold saw which can be a problem.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 10, 2016)

As long as you have thin or winter grade bar oil, the limit will be yourself and how you handle the cold weather.

 You definitely need layers, or you will overheat shortly. I suppose if you cut wood at a relaxed pace it wouldn't matter as much. I plan which trees and where and how I'm going to buck, and I give 'er. I find around -10 C 14 F is about the coldest for easy layer up/down.


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## CentralVAWoodHeat (Jan 10, 2016)

Today's quality saws from major manufacturers are meant to handle very cold weather.  Your saw can likely handle colder weather than you can.

As for winter bar oil, I never use it and routinely cut in temperatures well below freezing.  I keep bar oil in my house so it is always around 70 degrees.  Once your saw gets warmed up, the oil in the reservoir also heats up just from the heat of the engine.  Your first tank of bar oil will be warm from inside the house and then from then on, it won't matter if you put in cold bar oil as it will quickly get very warm.  Many times I have even started a saw from cold in single digit weather with bar oil from my shed that was also cold.  There was no difference in overall bar oil output compared to when it was warm.  I just try to avoid any extra stress on the pump.

That being said, bar oil is cheap so if keeping some in your house is a problem, just buy some winter bar oil.  Furthermore, always buy actual bar oil.  So many folks have ideas about cheaper/better ways to go about this but manufacturer recommended bar oil is cheap so use it.


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## osagebow (Jan 10, 2016)

My ms290 has an air baffle that flips over for winter use. I assume it's on many newish stills?


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## Ashful (Jan 10, 2016)

osagebow said:


> My ms290 has an air baffle that flips over for winter use. I assume it's on many newish stills?


It's on the oldish ones, too... if my old 064 is any indication.

+20C and up, normal mode
-10C to +10C, open carb pre-heater shutter
-10C and below, install optional air pre-heating kit

In that unspecified +10C to +20C range, you can run with carp pre-heater shutter open or closed.


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## Lake Girl (Jan 10, 2016)

Hubby has been out in -40 cutting (he was lots younger) ... skidders and other equipment were more of a problem than the Stihl chain saws.  He did bring them in every night though.  Mentioned that limbing was a breeze as branches would just explode off when you dropped the tree.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 11, 2016)

CentralVAWoodHeat said:


> As for winter bar oil, I never use it and routinely cut in temperatures well below freezing.



How well below freezing does Virginia get compared to a  more northern state?


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## peakbagger (Jan 11, 2016)

I picked up some summer bar lube on a minus 10 F day once and the oil ran like cold honey. It would flow and used in hot saw it might not cause damage but I expect if it sat overnight in the saw out in the garage I expect it would be a few minutes before any lube got to the bar.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 11, 2016)

Two strokes tend to do quite well in cold temps . . . as mentioned . . . winter bar oil is recommended with the different vicosity. Some saws can be changed to "winter use" . . . my saw either doesn't do it or I've never noticed it . . . runs fine.


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## CentralVAWoodHeat (Jan 11, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> How well below freezing does Virginia get compared to a  more northern state?


It probably feels like summer here in January compared to the weather you all have!  

Cold is always relative when you're talking about different geographical locations but it will easily hang out in the 0-20's range here in late January and early February.  We'll get the occasional cold spell where it will get into the -20's at night.  Definitely not a Northern Winter.

What we grapple with here is weather variability and unpredictability.  We rarely have two weeks in a row with similar weather.  For example, last week it hit 11-14F degrees at night and two nights ago, it didn't get below 43F.  This is more common than not.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 11, 2016)

CentralVAWoodHeat said:


> It probably feels like summer here in January compared to the weather you all have!
> 
> Cold is always relative when you're talking about different geographical locations but it will easily hang out in the 0-20's range here in late January and early February.  We'll get the occasional cold spell where it will get into the -20's at night.  Definitely not a Northern Winter.
> 
> What we grapple with here is weather variability and unpredictability.  We rarely have two weeks in a row with similar weather.  For example, last week it hit 11-14F degrees at night and two nights ago, it didn't get below 43F.  This is more common than not.



Just having fun taking a poke at your weather. 

I was meaning to put a shot of both summer and winter bar oil in clear containers just to check the flow at various temperatures. The stuff I use up here seems to have a noticeable difference in viscosity? when the weather gets cold.


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## DougA (Jan 11, 2016)

I haven't used winter grade for many years since I can't ever find it on sale and refused to pay twice the price for thinned out oil. I find that as long as the oil reservoir is emptying when I refill, it must be flowing just fine. When it gets too cold for that, it's too cold for me to be outside cutting!


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## computeruser (Jan 11, 2016)

Super cold is less of an issue than kinda cold + wet, at least for me.  The saws don't care either way.  Heated handle saws are what comes out when the temps drop, it helps keep the hands warm and happy.


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## osagebow (Jan 12, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> How well below freezing does Virginia get compared to a  more northern state?



hahaha... no where near what you Canadian prarie guys would get! We had 9F Monday morning, that's rare. I've cut to 20F or so with canola, now that I'm ahead that's also rare LOL.  Helped a neighbor cut at 25 or so this past weekend with no issues.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 12, 2016)

osagebow said:


> hahaha... no where near what you Canadian prarie guys would get! We had 9F Monday morning, that's rare. I've cut to 20F or so with canola, now that I'm ahead that's also rare LOL.  Helped a neighbor cut at 25 or so this past weekend with no issues.



I mixed some used canola oil with my winter bar oil to try out his year. It flowed pretty well in the 0 to -10 C (14-32 F) range.


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## DougA (Jan 12, 2016)

If you burn used fryer oil in a diesel VW, the exhaust smells like french fries. So if you put used canola oil in your saw, what does it smell like? My wife hates the 'chainsaw' smell when I walk in the house. Thought if I could change that to fries, it might help.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 12, 2016)

DougA said:


> If you burn used fryer oil in a diesel VW, the exhaust smells like french fries. So if you put used canola oil in your saw, what does it smell like? My wife hates the 'chainsaw' smell when I walk in the house. Thought if I could change that to fries, it might help.



It like a hint of fried food, mixed with the smell of 2 stroke exhaust...kid you not.


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## three feathers (Jan 12, 2016)

I have cut lots of wood in below 0 temps. I have always let my saws warm up well before using.


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## CentralVAWoodHeat (Jan 12, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> Just having fun taking a poke at your weather.
> 
> I was meaning to put a shot of both summer and winter bar oil in clear containers just to check the flow at various temperatures. The stuff I use up here seems to have a noticeable difference in viscosity? when the weather gets cold.


I know  

I absolutely love the cold and envy how cold it gets up by you all.  I guess the grass is always greener though.  I'm sure you all are ready for winter to be done come the end of the season.


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## Dobish (Jan 12, 2016)

i went out the other day when it was around 15 and sunny and spent a few hours with the saw. I didn't bother with the winter mix for the oil, and didn't really have any problems once it warmed up.  I actually thought that it cut better, since the saw stayed cooler.  I was more worried about having to pick up the pieces that were buried in the snow than anything else 

i will probably be heading out this evening to try and finish up the rest of the pile before it snows again!


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## DougA (Jan 12, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> It like a hint of fried food, mixed with the smell of 2 stroke exhaust...kid you not.


Hmmmm! I'll try it as soon as the weather warms up a bit. I've got some bacon grease left over from Xmas cooking that should work well. Too cold today for me to cut wood and I plowed the driveway for the first time this morning.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 12, 2016)

DougA said:


> Hmmmm! I'll try it as soon as the weather warms up a bit. I've got some bacon grease left over from Xmas cooking that should work well. Too cold today for me to cut wood and I plowed the driveway for the first time this morning.



Just dribble a tablespoon of fat into your muffler exhaust port while the grease is still liquid. You'll have your very own redneck aroma therapy happening once you go cutting.

Okay, I'm not exactly sure if that would really work, but would be funny to mess with a buddy if it would.


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## DougA (Jan 12, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> Just dribble a tablespoon of fat into your muffler exhaust port while the grease is still liquid. You'll have your very own redneck aroma therapy happening once you go cutting.
> 
> Okay, I'm not exactly sure if that would really work, but would be funny to mess with a buddy if it would.


We could market it and be billionaires by next week.


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## Eborsisk (Jan 14, 2016)

The manual for this Stihl 023 i am borrowing says it should have a baffle to redirect air over around the cylinder in cold weather, but there is no baffle in there. It mentions the possibility of the carbs icing over- has anyone actually experienced that, at what temp, and what were the symptoms?


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## BigFir (Jan 14, 2016)

CentralVAWoodHeat said:


> I know
> 
> I absolutely love the cold and envy how cold it gets up by you all.  I guess the grass is always greener though.  I'm sure you all are ready for winter to be done come the end of the season.


The grass is never green in Sask. It is always frozen!


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## Ashful (Jan 14, 2016)

Eborsisk said:


> The manual for this Stihl 023 i am borrowing says it should have a baffle to redirect air over around the cylinder in cold weather, but there is no baffle in there. It mentions the possibility of the carbs icing over- has anyone actually experienced that, at what temp, and what were the symptoms?


Carb used to ice up in one of my old saws (Echo 510EVL, I think).  Have not experienced it in the Stihls, but I do flip the baffle when it's cold.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 14, 2016)

CentralVAWoodHeat said:


> I know
> 
> I absolutely love the cold and envy how cold it gets up by you all.  I guess the grass is always greener though.  I'm sure you all are ready for winter to be done come the end of the season.



That cold weather sure gets the stove running I tell ya. But yes, when spring rolls around it's nice to finally hang up the gloves and look at the stove for 3 months.


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## DUMF (Jan 18, 2016)

Nobody here cuts in warm, never mind hot weather. Easy to get around a woodlot on frozen ground, pull logs out on light snow,....and NO BUGS.
Did I say "no bugs" ?  Besides cutting is hard fun work; not with thick chaps, pouring sweat, and slippery hands. Sure, cut in cold.
There is too much to do in spring, summer, early fall besides chainsawing.
Just say "no" to hot cutting.


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## Lake Girl (Jan 18, 2016)

DUMF said:


> cut in cold


I think the question was how cold??


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## DUMF (Jan 19, 2016)

Lake Girl said:


> I think the question was how cold??



Don't matter Girl. In Quebec they build boats outside in winter.....then again, they're Quebecois.
Seriously though, all northern region logging and our firewood work has always been done in winter.
All you have to deal with is cold, which is easier than heat ( did I say "bugs' ? ). Ever try to hold a chainsaw with
wet, slimy gloves ?


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## three feathers (Jan 19, 2016)

Bugs? Here in the winter its not the bugs you miss its the copperheads and rattlers. Love to cut when its too cold for them.


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## Lake Girl (Jan 19, 2016)

Same here ... just had to throw that out there as the Hubby did cut in winters when we first got married (commercial diver until freeze-up).  No bugs, access to and through muskeg areas.  Too cold is not great either as at -40/-50 below, machines are more of a problem.


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## DougA (Jan 19, 2016)

I think cutting in extreme cold is great unless you are a softie like me.


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## Sean McGillicuddy (Jan 19, 2016)

DUMF said:


> Don't matter Girl. In Quebec they build boats outside in winter.....then again, they're Quebecois.
> Seriously though, all northern region logging and our firewood work has always been done in winter.
> All you have to deal with is cold, which is easier than heat ( did I say "bugs' ? ). Ever try to hold a chainsaw with
> wet, slimy gloves ?


 

Or try to focus your vision thru the swarm of gnats/ noseeums / fly's !
Did you say Bugs?


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## DUMF (Jan 19, 2016)

Sean McGillicuddy said:


> Or try to focus your vision thru the swarm of gnats/ noseeums / fly's !
> Did you say Bugs?



Protein


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## Eborsisk (Jan 19, 2016)

Chitin


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## BobUrban (Jan 20, 2016)

Winter mix bar oil is not necessary until it gets really darn cold. Like well below zero cold and then stored outside overnight type stuff.  Just like any petroleum lubricated internal combustion system it's the first few moments or even seconds the engine starts that does the most wear while getting oil to the top of the system(think auto on a bitter morning). Once warmed up the saws and other internal combustion motors are happy to be running cool. Bar oil warms up too. Just don't start ripping into that logs as soon as you pull the cord and all will be fine. 

My best guess is that extreme heat is way harder on a saw with no radiator system than any temp in the opposite direction. You will burn one up much quicker than freeze it.  

I cut 99% of my wood in the winter because the ground is frozen and you can always put more clothes on but you can never take enough off. Especially w PE


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## Diabel (Jan 20, 2016)

The cold does not bother me when cutting. My lot is in a snow belt and usually by mid Dec I have 2-3 feet of snow on the ground, this makes it harder to move around and more dangerous.


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## salecker (Jan 20, 2016)

Lake Girl said:


> Hubby has been out in -40 cutting (he was lots younger) ... skidders and other equipment were more of a problem than the Stihl chain saws.  He did bring them in every night though.  Mentioned that limbing was a breeze as branches would just explode off when you dropped the tree.


 I'v done the -40 as well.Splitting wood is easy at those temps as well-58C was the coldest that i have had a machine running ,it was a Polaris 600 RMK.You had to remove the drive belts while they were warm.Then once you got the engin running after sitting a while you would but the belt on warm.


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## DUMF (Jan 21, 2016)

Diabel said:


> The cold does not bother me when cutting. My lot is in a snow belt and usually by mid Dec I have 2-3 feet of snow on the ground, this makes it harder to move around and more dangerous.


Yup, it is the amount of snow. 2' is about the limit for safety and bother harvesting. The machines and me don't do so well in deep snow.
Cold is not a factor, but wind is when dropping trees.


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## Zack R (Nov 6, 2017)

I think I had my first encounter with carb icing yesterday. It was about 30F outside, humid and light snow. Pulled the saw from the garage and it started/ran just fine for about 10 minutes then it stumbled and wouldn't start again. Fuel was on the low side so I added some and still no start. Tried starting enough times to eventually flood it and after removing the sparkplug and drying things out I could get it to run but not rev well, eventually stalling again.

It was about dark so I called it a day and will take a look again this afternoon. Hopefully I can get it running well and plan to fine tune the carb for the colder conditions (20's and 30's today, low will be around 10-15F).

Has anyone made a makeshift cold weather kit for a Husqvarna 365 Special (same case as a 372XP)? Any example photos would be helpful. Not sure if these kits are still made for these saws or if these kits even help with carb icing. My modern Stihl MS211 has a small tab that you can turn that allows warm air to reach the carb to prevent icing. I tried the MS211 in the same conditions and didn't have an icing problem.


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## peakbagger (Nov 6, 2017)

All of my huskys have that tab in the air cleaner box that you open or close in the winter to pull in warm air. Never had carb icing issues up in NH even though I cut down in low temps.


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## VirginiaIron (Nov 6, 2017)

I have never giiven it much thought unless it was crazy cold where i thought ice and rock hard wood might damage my chain. I neve r used a winter blend chain lube but have noticed the oil seemed like molasis or honey. I think once the engine warms there is no problem with lubrication.


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## Ashful (Nov 6, 2017)

I've never owned a saw without a summer/winter pre-heat shutter, but I've read some conflicting info on when you should make the switch.  Compounding this issue is the fact that Stihl had a typo in some of their manuals, equating +10C to +14F, as the recommended temperature to close the shutter.  We know +10C is closer to +50F, and that carb icing can happen at this temperature, and it seems insane to wait until it's +14F (-10C) to close that shutter.

The same manual says I must be sure the shutter is open (for fresh air) at any temperature above +20C/+70F, to avoid overheating the engine.  Easy enough.  This implies the shutter could be run in any position at temperatures in the 50F to 70F range, which is nice, as I do a lot of sawing at those temps.

However, the Stihl site instructs us to close that shutter at any temperature below +40F, which is right in the middle of the numbers given by my manual.  Bottom line, I suspect it depends on the exact fuel mix you're running, as I know all the major brands fiddle with their summer/winter blend boiling points, throughout the year.


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## Diabel (Nov 6, 2017)

Interesting old revived thread.

This shutter thing got me interested. Would the MS360 have such thing? If so, where....thanks.


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## beatlefan (Nov 6, 2017)

When my boogers freeze, it’s time to go in.


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## peakbagger (Nov 7, 2017)

Remove the air filter box, flip it over and look at the front end (facing the bar). There should be hole in the box with a small plastic cap that is pivoted so it can be swung into and out of the hole. Pretty simple.


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## Woody5506 (Nov 7, 2017)

love cutting in the winter as long as we aren't buried in snow. Gets me out of the house and the cold air keeps me feeling tough. Call me crazy but I'm convinced my saw runs better in the winter. Never had any stalling issues until I was running it hard in the summer.


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## Sean McGillicuddy (Nov 8, 2017)

I use the winter mix bar oil from Tractor supply ..or I did .. I wonder if they still have it after there new saw upgrading..


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## Ashful (Nov 8, 2017)

Ditto.  The regular grade bar oil may eventually warm up, and run just the same, but winter grade pours more easily in the cold.  It also doesn’t leave you running a dry bar for ten minutes, while you wait for the saw to heat up the oil reservoir.

I really don’t understand the aversion to winter weight oil, it’s not like it costs any more or less than regular weight.  I have two bottles on the shelf, and grab the winter weight when it’s cold (eg. < 20F), or the regular weight when it’s warmer.  Pretty simple.


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## akhilaggarwal1 (Apr 29, 2020)

*Recommendations When Using an Electric Chainsaw in Wet Conditions*
A wet chainsaw will commonly get wasteful, also the danger of rusted edges. Likewise, there is an opportunity of slippage when holding the machine, which can prompt some heartbreaking mishaps. Water and power have never been known to be exceptionally high together. When water gets inside your electric engine, the likelihood of your device breaking down or neglecting to work through and through will be exceptionally high.
*1. Beware of Slippery Cutting Conditions
2. Use Protective Equipment
3. Use the Right Chain Type
4. Be Cautious of Debris Stuck to the Tree*


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## VirginiaIron (Apr 29, 2020)

Most electric chain saws produce more torque than chaps can safely handle.


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## Ashful (Apr 29, 2020)

Welcome to the forum, akhilaggarwal.  I believe you are our first member from Bangalore.


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## akhilaggarwal1 (Apr 30, 2020)

Ashful said:


> Welcome to the forum, akhilaggarwal.  I believe you are our first member from Bangalore.


Thanks for the welcome.


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## kennyp2339 (May 1, 2020)

Old timer next door told me that he use to use cooking oil as bar oil in the winter, way thinner stuff and cheap, wessen I think was the brand he would use.


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## Ashful (May 1, 2020)

kennyp2339 said:


> Old timer next door told me that he use to use cooking oil as bar oil in the winter, way thinner stuff and cheap, wessen I think was the brand he would use.


If you scroll back thru this thread, you’ll see I used to buy winter weight, and didn’t see any reason to do otherwise, it costs the same as regular weight, at least when buying the same brand.  The only rub here is that many cheaper brands aren’t stocked in winter weight, at least not in the southern 48.

Then someone pointed out, either in this thread or another, that you could just make your own winter weight by adding a bit of diesel to standard weight. I suspect many of us have poured enough standard weight in spring or fall to know what the ideal viscosity looks like when pouring, and I just aim to get to that when adulterating my standard weight with diesel, now.

I still keep my blue Stihl winter weight bottle, but today it’s filled with a bit of standard weight plus diesel.  I add a bit of either ingredient as needed, to adjust the viscosity for the weather I’m in, whether it’s 25F or single-digits.  Anytime it’s above freezing, I just switch back to regular weight.

If trying this, start with a quarter gallon of bar oil and just add an ounce of diesel, shake and pour.  Sneak up on the amount required, and fine-tune by adding a bit of bar oil, when you overshoot the ratio.  It only takes a small amount of diesel to thin a lot of bar oil.


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## akhilaggarwal1 (May 29, 2020)

akhilaggarwal1 said:


> *Recommendations When Using an Electric Chainsaw in Wet Conditions*
> A wet chainsaw will commonly get wasteful, also the danger of rusted edges. Likewise, there is an opportunity of slippage when holding the machine, which can prompt some heartbreaking mishaps. Water and power have never been known to be exceptionally high together. When water gets inside your electric engine, the likelihood of your device breaking down or neglecting to work through and through will be exceptionally high.
> *1. Beware of Slippery Cutting Conditions
> 2. Use Protective Equipment
> ...


I was surfing net and found this article for  Using An Electric Chainsaw In The Rain
Check it out.


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## SpaceBus (May 29, 2020)

kennyp2339 said:


> Old timer next door told me that he use to use cooking oil as bar oil in the winter, way thinner stuff and cheap, wessen I think was the brand he would use.


I go with whatever is cheapest, usually it is Wesson.


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## salecker (May 30, 2020)

SpaceBus said:


> I go with whatever is cheapest, usually it is Wesson.


You could add bio diesel in the winter if you get any cold weather.


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## SpaceBus (May 30, 2020)

salecker said:


> You could add bio diesel in the winter if you get any cold weather.


I have a gallon of regular B&C oil if I ever need it, but so far vegetable/canola oil has been fantastic. Even when it was 0 df outside the canola oil flowed just fine. I don't like cutting in hot weather or when it's single digits or less, so I doubt I'll have any issues long term using organic oils.


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