Short answer: Phil's advice is to use the bar oil your saw's manufacturer specifies. The saw's oiler system is delicate and is made for oil of the right viscosity. Bar oil also has the right temperature rating, and you'll want a slightly different viscosity for a cold climate than a hot one. Manufacturers will probably recommend against using motor oil.

Watch this answer on YouTube (3:44) · Full episode · Subscribe

What Phil says

"Manufacturers probably recommend that you don't. The saw's oiler system is pretty delicate, and there's a correct viscosity for the oil to run through your bar. So it's recommended that you use the specified oil from the manufacturer, because it's got a correct temperature rating, especially if you live in a cold climate, or a hot one, you'll have slightly different viscosities for your bar oil. That's what I recommend."

Why the oil matters

• The oiler is delicate. It's built to pump oil of a specific viscosity through to the bar.
• Temperature rating. Bar oil is rated for the conditions. In a cold or a hot climate you'll want a slightly different viscosity.
• Check your manual for the bar oil your saw specifies.

Where does the bar oil go?

Watch this answer on YouTube (5:23) · Full episode · Subscribe

It goes in through the bar oil cap, which most saws mark with a small oil symbol or stamp. From there, a small pump inside the saw pushes it out to the bar, through a little hole in the bar, and around the chain.

"That keeps the chain lubricated and stops it from wearing the bar out and the chain out and keeps you cutting smoothly."

If the oil isn't getting to the chain, the bar and chain wear faster and the saw won't cut smoothly.

Free one-page checklist

Phil’s chainsaw troubleshooting checklist

Seven common problems, the checks a working arborist runs first, and when it’s a job for the saw shop. Print it and keep it with your saw.

Related questions

• What fuel mix should a chainsaw run, and is premix worth it?
• How tight should a chainsaw chain be?
• When is a chainsaw chain blunt or worn out?
• All 16 chainsaw questions, answered

From Clogger Answers, episode 1. These are Phil's opinions, based on his professional experience. Always follow your saw's manual and wear the right protective gear.

Phil is a professional arborist based in Invercargill, New Zealand, who runs saws every day with his crew. Clogger makes chainsaw pants and chainsaw chaps.