# Chainsaw shavings



## buffalosmoke (Feb 4, 2010)

A friend and I were cutting up a sugar maple that fell down a few months ago. We had a big pile of chainsaw shavings...and he kept some for using in a smoker. I was concerned about the bar oil being mixed in with the shavings...but he didn't seem to worry about it. 

After some reading here...I see you can fill the saw with cooking oil and use that. And I'll remember that tip in the future, but what about the stuff we already cut up? Would you use it to smoke with? I don't think I would. I'll have to ask him how they work out. 

I kept a few of the logs to split for smoking....looking forward to using that.


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## treegje (Feb 4, 2010)

than you are safe
Otherwise do you not sure what chemicals you get inside.


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## smokeguy (Feb 4, 2010)

I personally wouldn't use it. And I wouldn't use a cooking oil either for my bar lube. My reasons are below. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






Chains are cheap. 
Cutting lots of wood with a dull chain is fun. 
Continually tightening a stretched chain is fun. 
Having the wrong oil gum up your bar-oiling holes makes your bar last longer.
Bars are cheap. 
Wood chips are expensive. 
Clean wood is in short supply.


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## smokingohiobutcher (Feb 4, 2010)

HUH???
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




SOB


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## meat hunter (Feb 4, 2010)

Personally, I would not use the saw dust that had regular bar oil in it, no matter how small amount may be there. Its so cheap to just buy some in the stores without the worry or concern of the bar oil. 

I have never heard of replacing the oil for the bar with vegetable oil, thats a new one for me. Do you have a link for that? I would be interested in checking that out.


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## buffalosmoke (Feb 4, 2010)

I just typed "chainsaw" into the search box of the wood for smoking forum. A few posts mentioned using cooking oil in the saw. Googling it comes up with a few hits as well.

It's funny, cause the other night, a bunch of us were at my friends house for dinner. I asked him if he had used the chips yet. He had not. I brought up the bar oil question, and another guy there said he uses some type of cooking oil all the time in his saw. I said I'll stick with my Husqvarna bar oil...thanks. He's a cheap SOB and uses alot of bar oil I guess. The $12,  1 gallon jug I have will last me a few years. 

Anyhow....I'll stick to the big chunks I cut up and leave the dust on the ground. I was just wondering how much bar oil would actually be in the dust? We couldn't smell any at the time...and that's why he kept some. Might be a different story when it burns though....


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## mballi3011 (Feb 4, 2010)

I don't know if I would use that saw dust. I don't think a good day of hugging the toilet would be worth it.


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## mulepackin (Feb 4, 2010)

Supposedly certain individuals in this part of the country are known to quarter game taken illegally or even legally, with a chainsaw with veg oil in the oiler. I suppose if you were real lazy that would be one way to do it. Or if it is a poached animal, and you are in a hurry. Either way, it doesn't fit my style of hunting. My hunting partners and I can quarter an animal pretty quickly with an axe and have it slung on our pack animals and down the trail in short order. Without resorting to these tactics. To the topic at hand; I wouldn't use chips obtained this way. I do use chips from my woodshop, cherry and oak, and I'm going to be doing a hickory project soon. These are from the planer, joiner, and saws. All very clean and safe.


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## hog warden (Feb 4, 2010)

As featured in the movie "Rancho Deluxe"!

I"m grilling chicken breasts tonight so I'll foil wrap some mulberry chips I saved from using the chainsaw to block up the smoking chunks. I had bar oil in the saw, but wasn't pumping it. I don't think there will be enough to notice, but I'll let you know.......or if you never hear from me again......it didn't work out well.


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## pineywoods (Feb 4, 2010)

It would depend on the saw as to how much oil is in the shavings personally I wouldn't use it. 
Mulepackin I have a friend that used to commercially raise hogs and he still raises some and traps some wild ones as well and he uses an electric chainsaw with cooking oil in it to cut them up while butchering. It actually works pretty good


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## hog warden (Feb 5, 2010)

I forgot that some of my relatives also use chainsaws to lop off the top of deer heads to save the intact antlers before mounting. Crude, but effective. Commercial kill plants use a type of circular saw (skill saw) to split the backbone of a carcass into halves. 

Anyway, survived the smoke and it was just a mild hint of smoke. Didn't notice the oil at all. 

BTW, those smoking chunks were cut with a brand new chain that was flinging the saw chips out fast and furious and the saw running not much more than a fast idle. There is virtually no oil on them.


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## hdsmoke (Feb 5, 2010)

At the slow speed and if you turned your oiler way down i would imagine there is very trace amounts of oil in the chips.  They do make a biodegradable oil that may be a safe alternative as well.


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