Makita Corded Chainsaw

[Mike Goetzke]

Almost two years ago I purchased this saw to trim up my bowl blanks in the garage and next to the house (I have a gasser to do the heavy work). I'm not an expert but this saw has served me well so far. One thing that has worried me since day one is the lack of oil this saw puts on the chain. My gas chainsaw will throw off oil if I run it for a bit without cutting wood but the Makita stays pretty dry. I even took the bar/chain off of it once and ran it with the oiling channel open and it would just barely drip oil (this is all weather oil). I added some light machining oil to it and then it came out much quicker. I called Makita but they claim not to have heard any issues with the oiling of this saw.

Yesterday I looking into it again and found Makita now has a newer model. Mine is UC4030A and the new one is UC4051A. The new model has improved chain tensioning and updated oil pump. I then looked at some consumer reviews of the new model and see complaints of too much oil - even with the saw not running. Some say they need to drain before storing and be careful where they lay the saw down because it will leave oil. So maybe I'm lucky with the older model?

I know several on this forum have this older model saw and wondering if anyone else is worried about the lack of oil and possible means/mods to help it (besides making my own low viscosity oil mix).



Thanks,

Mike

[Tom Brouillette]

One thing that took me by surprise when I bought an electric chainsaw was that it uses 30w motor oil instead of conventional chain oil. I go through a lot of it, but am happy with the results. I know right away when I'm out of oil.

[Don Frank]

I have the same saw in the Dolmar brand which makes Makita. It does not fling oil like a gas chainsaw does but I do have to remember to refill the tank as it does use oil. The blade seems to be adequately lubricated without the extra mess. That saw has been one of my favorite tools. To be able to cut indoors at times is great. I owned a cheaper brand and there is no comparison in how they cut. The Dolmar will cut anything as fast as my bigger Stihl.

[Bob Bouis]

I once had a Poulan chainsaw that would just leak out all the oil when sitting. I sure do miss that saw!

While you do need some lubrication, electric chainsaws aren't exactly seeing heavy service even when used by turners. And shorter bars and narrower chains just don't need as much oil.

FWIW I got a battery-powered 80v electric not too long ago, and I really like it for making smaller cuts without bothering anyone. It's of comparable construction to corded electric or cheap gas saws, but at least it doesn't have an awful "toolless" tensioning system.

[john taliaferro]

Lift the chain up out of the bar and feel the drivers if their oiley your good . Make shure the oil hole in the bar is clean and the groove . I use bar oil it sticks better ,and my oiler is turned almost off to keep from comtaminating the wood , but i finish with oil anyway .

[Brice Rogers]

I suspect that my post will attract a knee jerk reaction from some purists. I used to use bar oil but a couple of years ago I switched to used automotive drain oil. Like 5W-30 synthetic (Mobil 1). I honestly don't notice any difference. They both work. One is free. I suspect that the lubricity of the synthetic motor oil is better than that of bar oil, although the bar oil may tend to stick better.

[Olaf Vogel]

I've used 10w30 in both my electric (Stihl E20) and gas chainsaws (Stihl 070) for the last few years.
A retired small engine mechanic fixed up all my saws and recommended that.
The bar oil is stickier so it slings less, but I've found no other difference.

The slinging is an issue when cutting indoors and I dont want to get oil all over the wall. But I rarely do that.
So any extra that goes flying into bush, doesnt really bother me.

[Bob Bouis]

Chainsaw oil is cheaper than motor oil -- Brice was talking about using used motor oil, which sounds really icky to me, especially indoors.

[Brice Rogers]

Yes, I was referring to used oil. It is synthetic and I change it every 5K miles or so. So, it is actually fairly clean. Not coal black like some might imagine. But I use it outside rather than inside. No need to sling or spray oil around the shop. Also, I don't like all of those extra chips flying around in my shop.

What is a bit more "icky" (actually stinky) is when I do a heat treat (hardening) to steel using an oil quench. I typically do the quench inside (for a variety of reasons) and when the oil flashes it momentarily puts out some flames and smoke. But I have an overhead whole-house fan in my shop to help.

[Wayne Lomman]

Don't use second hand oil. Not a purist either, simply a bloke who has had to expensively get oil pumps replaced because of others putting used oil in them. Do it yourself if you like, just don't recommend the idea to all and sundry and risk their gear. Cheers

[Barry Richardson]

For what it's worth, I've had the UC4000 (an even earlier model) for about 10 years. It is a very tough saw that has taken a lot of abuse. Never had a problem with oil feeding, but is does weep some oil over time when stored, not really a problem where I store it though....

[Mike Turner]

I also have the UC4030A.I have used it for several yrs prepping bowl blanks and yard work.It has been a great saw.I have noticed the lack of oil also.The hole will easily get blocked with sawdust.I blow mine off occasionally or take it apart and clean it and go back to sawing. It has really paid for it self.I havent noticed any wear on the bar or chain from lack of oil.I would buy it again!!