Chain saw oil

[outeredge]

All good advice there, I have just bought a chainsaw and have a trainer coming down to my woods for two days next week to give me one-on-one training. There are hundreds of people around the country who will charge you about £200 a day. Courses are cheaper but for me having someone showing me the ropes on my own land is invaluable.

[davetb]

We finally got a chain saw at a auction but it has no instructions or chain. It goes fine but we havent used it because it still needs a chain which we can get of Ebay. Can someone explain for dummies about oil. It seems there are three different ones and a guy at the auction said they need two different oils, one goes somewhere in the motor. We only seem to have one oil container on it for oil and cant see any sort of hole where you would squirt more in the motor. Do they need two oils and as theres only one container are you supposed to mix them together? There is chainsaw oil, biological oil and another sort called fifty to one. If we only have one oil container which should we use please, or do you mix them up. If its best we would prefer the biological one as it seems to be natural.

Thank God you're getting trained as this was the scariest post I've ever read.
I thought it might be a 'joke' post.
I initially spent more on PPE (personal protective equipment ) than the saw.
I then did the LANTRA cross cutting course - another big expense.
However, well done for asking for advice and now getting trained.
Husqvarna and Stihl have all their chainsaw instruction manuals online.
You didn't mention the make / model of your saw - I'm a bit scared to ask but maybe the manual will be online.
My wife borrowed a small saw and went on a course with an individual instructor and neither of them knew how to start the saw. I presumed the instructor would know how to start it, but he didn't. He then had her felling 20" diameter trees with a 12" bar. It was a 2 day course.
Choose your instructor wisely.
Best wishes,
Dave

[Patandsam]

If you read the posts Davetb you will realise that we have stated the make and model and we didnt say we were getting trained, that was someone else. We dont know why you think our question is scary, it seems perfectly sensible to ask for advice if puzzled by lots of different products which may or may not be right for the chain saw. Normally we get our vehicles serviced at the garage and the groundsman did the oil in the other things we use, so are not very familiar with different machine oils. I'll bet there are plenty of practical things women do well that you are unfamiliar with like cleaning toilets, cooking, ironing and giving birth, so a little bit of respect for us might be nice rather than suggesting we are scary with tools. That is rather patronising.

[SimonFisher]

If you read the posts Davetb you will realise that we have stated the make and model...

No, you've stated the make and size, not the model. And, had you done so in your original post and I'd been aware you were talking about an electric saw, I'd have made my initial reply more appropriate. If you say chainsaw and don't clarify, I think it's fair to say that most on this forum will assume a petrol-engine one.

I'll bet there are plenty of practical things women do well that you are unfamiliar with like cleaning toilets, cooking, ironing and giving birth, so a little bit of respect for us might be nice rather than suggesting we are scary with tools. That is rather patronising.

With the exception of giving birth, I do most of the cleaning, cooking and ironing in the household. I find your post a little sexist

I'd would also encourage you to obtain some proper training. Even with an electric chainsaw there are maintenance issues (sharpening, chain tension, chain oiling) which can make the saw less dangerous to use. Also, it's not just about the saw. Even if you're only cross-cutting, you'll learn how to do it safely and sensibly.

[Patandsam]

I would have thought generally that electric saws are more popular than petrol ones, there are 14 electric ones on the Tesco website and only 2 petrol ones, maybe because most people use them at home? Some of the petrol ones seem really expensive, I guess they are more powerful so foresters use them for big stuff. If it was so important to go on an expensive course for an electric saw and its dangerous why dont the shops offer courses or safety advice and should there be some legal requirement to have some training before you get one? Are the cordless ones any good Simon? Maybe we could get one on Ebay or from Tesco and do without trailing half a mile of wire across the place. Thanks for the safety hints OCP, maybe they do a machettie safety course you can go on?

[SimonFisher]

I would have thought generally that electric saws are more popular than petrol ones, there are 14 electric ones on the Tesco website and only 2 petrol ones...

Are you seriously suggesting that the range of chainsaws on sale in Tesco is any indication of popularity in the wider environment? One of the biggest and most respected names in the chainsaw world is Stihl. You'll not find those on the Tesco web site as they (Stihl) take a responsibility in trying to ensure that anyone who sells Stihl equipment is able to properly advise the buyer. You're supposed to buy a Stihl face-to-face with a dealer or have an existing purchase record with one.

If it was so important to go on an expensive course for an electric saw and its dangerous why dont the shops offer courses or safety advice and should there be some legal requirement to have some training before you get one?

There are any number of potentially dangerous items that you can buy and use without any requirement to demonstrate or show proof of training - that's not generally the way things work in this country. Haven't we had a similar conversation before about Tesco's ethics? They sell what makes a good profit and doesn't get them too bad a name and a resulting dent in the share price Any suggestion that their prime concern is only selling what's good for you is I think a little out of touch with reality. Do they still do their ten chickens for a quid and battery eggs on the reasoning that shoppers buy them so it's OK?

Are the cordless ones any good Simon?

If you buy a good one they're very good. If you buy one from Tesco, possibly not. How much would you pay for a cordless drill plus charger and a pair of batteries. Mine comes in somewhere in the region of £350, will do anything I need of it, will last years and I can get spares. I'm guessing Tesco sells them for a few tens of pounds. It might last a couple of years depending on use, and if it breaks you throw it out and buy another. Cheap and cheerful I think is the expression, but I don't see what's so cheerful about binning a bit of kit because it was built to a silly price rather than to a reasonable level of quality to do a proper job. Have a look at these ones - http://www.frjonesandson.co.uk/products-page/machines/chainsaws-pole-saws/battery-chainsaws/ or search for the Makita 36-volt cordless chainsaw.

Maybe we could get one on Ebay or from Tesco and do without trailing half a mile of wire across the place.

If you're seriously trailing that much wire, you might need to consider the risk of voltage drop...

[Wendelspanswick]

I am really pleased with my new electric chainsaw, it's really light and has a brand new oil free chain:

[Patandsam]

That looks a lot lighter to handle than the one we bought. The electricity cord looks a bit short but I guess you can put on a longer one or plug it into an extension lead. Its blue, so is it a Makita as well? Who sells them and what do they cost?

[davetb]

If you read the posts Davetb you will realise that we have stated the make and model and we didnt say we were getting trained, that was someone else. We dont know why you think our question is scary, it seems perfectly sensible to ask for advice if puzzled by lots of different products which may or may not be right for the chain saw. Normally we get our vehicles serviced at the garage and the groundsman did the oil in the other things we use, so are not very familiar with different machine oils. I'll bet there are plenty of practical things women do well that you are unfamiliar with like cleaning toilets, cooking, ironing and giving birth, so a little bit of respect for us might be nice rather than suggesting we are scary with tools. That is rather patronising.

Patronise - treat with an apparent kindness which betrays a feeling of superiority.

I apologise if you felt patronised in asking about the function of different oils. It's a complicated subject with lots of different properties of the oils.

I don't apologise if you are offended by me describing your post as scary. The more you write the more scared I become.
You are posting that you know nothing about chainsaws, don't plan to become trained, won't wear the appropriate protection equipment, won't listen to the legitimate concerns of most other members of the forum & still plan to use the saw.
The more you post, the more like Viz it becomes.
Am I patronising you - yes, guilty as charged - according to the above definition.

Be careful is what we are all trying to tell you.

If you need any medical or anaesthetic advice, in future, I'd be happy to help.

[davetb]

Talking of Viz, here's some safety advice....