Battery Chainsaw - Bar Oil or Olive Oil?

[BZNHNTR]

Just got an electric chainsaw to throw in the pickup for camp firewood and the occasional downed tree in the road. Looking forward to not having to deal with the gas saw when only making a few cuts.

I'm stuck on what to use for bar oil though. I've heard (probably from Stihl adds more than anything) of using olive oil so you can use it for butchering but I am just not seeing where in the butchering process a chainsaw would be all that useful. Assuming you are in a location where having the chainsaw is practical and have a large critter down, what advantage/uses does it have for butchering? How does olive oil work for bar oil, including when it's freezing out? Are there better food grade oils?

 

[antlerradar]

Simple test, place the olive oil in the temperatures you expect. If it turns sold or sludgy it is not going to work.

Edit. I googled it. Olive oil solidifies at about 45 to 50 degrees, not going to work in many hunting situations.

 

[Scott85]

@Dsnow9 uses a Biodegradable bar oil.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

I’ve heard of outfitters literally cutting a deer in half and putting each half in saddle bags, or an elk into 1/4s hair and all.

 

[Scott85]

I don’t see why you need to use a chainsaw but out of laziness. You can dismember it with just a knife.

 

[millerkiller77]

I'd take a cordless Sawzall all day long over a chainsaw for butchering. The clutch assy, bar tip bearing, & entire drive system is going to get plugged up with meat,gristle, bone fragments, etc.
Not to mention how much slop is going to be flying on you and all over the rest of the meat. And olive oil in low temps is a no go, even if it's above freezing.
If you insist on the chainsaw route, food grade mineral oil would be the only thing I'd remotely consider

 

[millerkiller77]

^^^^^olive oil at 37°

 

[Dsnow9]

I wouldn’t ever use a chainsaw for butchering. I use some of my handsaws to cut bone but chainsaw would just make a mess. The bio based stuff I use stays liquid in the winter but don’t know about putting it on meat

 

[BZNHNTR]

I’ve heard of outfitters literally cutting a deer in half and putting each half in saddle bags, or an elk into 1/4s hair and all.

That sounds terrible.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

That sounds terrible.

I think that’s what the outfitter did to Steve’s buck on his guided WY hunt.

 

[BZNHNTR]

I don’t see why you need to use a chainsaw but out of laziness. You can dismember it with just a knife.

That’s what I though also, but there is a lot I don’t know!

 

[Scott85]

That’s what I though also, but there is a lot I don’t know!

what is your end goal? You trying just to have quarters or splitting it in half?

 

[BZNHNTR]

I think that’s what the outfitter did to Steve’s buck on his guided WY hunt.

I can understand leaving hide on if it’s really cold but just cutting hide and all with a chainsaw just seems like a mess.

 

[ccc23454]

Used chain saw with some form cooking oil (guy who helped brought it) and battery sawzall on my bison, VERY glad we did. I cant imagin how many hours those saws saved us over hand sawing! Mostly used sawzall and went thru couple batterys, have some long stainless blades.

 

[BZNHNTR]

I'd take a cordless Sawzall all day long over a chainsaw for butchering. The clutch assy, bar tip bearing, & entire drive system is going to get plugged up with meat,gristle, bone fragments, etc.
Not to mention how much slop is going to be flying on you and all over the rest of the meat. And olive oil in low temps is a no go, even if it's above freezing.
If you insist on the chainsaw route, food grade mineral oil would be the only thing I'd remotely consider
View attachment 283601

I had that thought also, want sure if the bar friction caused enough heat it wasn’t an issue. Have had the frozen oil problem in our camp cook kit, bought some flaxseed oil due to low freezing temp but it tastes wired… canola isn’t as good for low temp but a lot better than olive.

 

[BZNHNTR]

what is your end goal? You trying just to have quarters or splitting it in half?

No goal, typically quarter game with a knife. Bought chainsaw for cutting wood not meat/bone. Just trying to figure out if I’m missing something before I fill it with petroleum bar oil.

 

[hank4elk]

No goal, typically quarter game with a knife. Bought chainsaw for cutting wood not meat/bone. Just trying to figure out if I’m missing something before I fill it with petroleum bar oil.

Well a chainsaw is for wood.
A knife and a bone saw are for meat.

I've seen some pretty strange butchering methods. Including a chainsaw, hide on, mess.
I even tried the sawsall split once. Why?

It is so easy to just skin and cut. Gutless. Get those parts in bags and cool it down.

 

[Southern Elk]

I’ve used a cordless sawzall on a couple of cow elk that I was able to get out whole. It worked great. I don’t think I would consider using a chainsaw. Too messy.

 

[RobG]

I saw a guy quarter an elk in the field with a cordless sawzall. He cut right down the spine, and then those halves into quarters so it could be hauled out with a horse. I like to keep the meat on the bone if possible, but I don't have a horse and I'm leery of CWD.

 

[BZNHNTR]

Appreciate all the input, petroleum bar oil it is. I’m sticking with knifes for butchering.