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[sammygator]

Many folks are now running their slab saws with mineral oil.  Oil used as an animal laxative seems to be a popular choice.  It's readily available and reasonably priced so I can see why.  I have about 5 gallons left of the oil I have been using in my 10'' and 24'' saws.  It works great and I believe Kingsley still sells it but it's now $140 for a 5 gallon pail (plus shipping). 

I'm interested in switching to equine laxative mineral oil but am concerned about viscosity in cold weather.  I live in northern Minnesota and my saws operate in an unheated building.  Temps could be anywhere from 0 to 30 F in the winter and occasionally even colder.  Would the viscosity of the laxative mineral oil at those temperatures be an issue?  I'm worried it will be too thick.  Does anyone have any experience using the laxative mineral oil at low temps?  Your input is appreciated!

Regards,

Sam

[jakesrocks]

I live in N.E. South Dakota, & Kingsley's food grade mineral oil is like molasses this time of the year.

Winter grade hydraulic oil may be a better winter choice for us in the frozen north. It has a smell, but a bottle of the cheapest Wally World baby oil will kill the smell. Tractor Supply usually has 5 gallon buckets of hydraulic oil on sale this time of year.

[likesrocks]

I have an older Lortone drop saw that likes to mist oil within a 4 foot radius area so i chose to saw outside just as you do. So just do what I do, simple is best! I just drain the oil from the saw after use and store it in several 1 gallon jugs in the house at room temp until time to saw again! Warm oil holds temps well, it also picks up heat from the sawing process! I have sawed for almost 2 hours outside in very cold temps with no issue. Good luck, I hope this helps!

[Slabbercabber]

I have an older Lortone drop saw that likes to mist oil within a 4 foot radius area so i chose to saw outside just as you do. So just do what I do, simple is best! I just drain the oil from the saw after use and store it in several 1 gallon jugs in the house at room temp until time to saw again! Warm oil holds temps well, it also picks up heat from the sawing process! I have sawed for almost 2 hours outside in very cold temps with no issue. Good luck, I hope this helps!

This would be super easy to do with a pressure fed system running from a five gallon bucket.

[sammygator]

Thank you all for responding.  The hydraulic oil may be the way for me to go for the saws operated in the cold.   I don't mind if it smells a little.  I checked our local farm store and a 5 gallon container is $42.95.  The lowest viscosity available was AW32.  Is that what you are using jakesrocks?   

Swapping out the oil after each use just wouldn't be practical for me.  The large saw holds 6 or 7 gallons.  The small saw holds much less but is of a design where you have to remove the saw body from the tray holding the oil to drain or clean it--a messy and time-consuming task.

While visiting the farm store I bought a gallon of the animal laxative mineral oil.  As expected It was pretty thick after sitting in my garage at a not-that-cold 30 degrees F.  I am going to try this oil out in my 6'' trim saw.  That saw gets operated where the temp is closer to 60 degrees F and I think it may work O.K. there. 

[Ranger_Dave]

Have you thought of a crankcase heater? Plug it in an hour before you cut and it should solve the problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Kats-24150-Watt-Universal-Heater/dp/B000I8TQD6/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1483337702&sr=1-6&keywords=dipstick+heater

I needed a heater for an automatic waterer in my llama's shelter. Heaters were about $50. Instead I got a regular electrical box, but a red Christmas tree bulb in it and attached it to the wall right under the waterer, plugged that into a thermostat for a pipe heater. Worked great. It was on a GFI circuit, so no one would get shocked.

[Allen]

Fortunately for me I live in the tropics, no trouble with viscosity.

My problem relates to the oil (horse laxative) holding the dust from the cut in suspension.

Seem to have found a cheap solution. Have been adding about 25% old gearbox oil, a friend is a auto mechanic.

The result is the muck has been settling out. It can be scraped of the saw bottom bagged in plain paper lunch bags for a week to drip off and disposed of. Very little waste. Have a 14" Lortone. 

[PhilNM]

Easy solution is to go get an aquarium heater and put that in your tank. Works like a charm! cheap too!

[Steve Ramsdell]

They also sell bird bath heaters that can be immersed.  But I would also use a GFI outlet.

[Ranger_Dave]

At your local auto supply  you can get, for about $30, a crankcase heater that attaches to the outside of your saw with a magnet. It's made for heating oil.

I recently added a bottle of Bardahl No Smoke to the 2.5 gallons of oil in my saw. Misting was reduced by about 90%.