Mora 106 Knife Review [UPDATED]

Last updated on November 18th, 2022 at 11:47 am

Wondering if you should get the Mora 106 knife? It is an excellent carving knife with great control as it has a nice fat handle, great grip, and a razor-sharp 80mm, 2 mm thick blade that is easy to maintain. This should get your attention, seeing as this knife cuts to the point. 

The Mora Wood Carving 106 is a small wood carving knife with a thin, tapered laminated steel blade and oiled birch wood handle. Blade length 3.2-inches. If you’re looking for a specialty knife, this is the knife for you. 

Mora 106 Knife Features

General overview 

This Mora 106 Knife has a thin, tapered blade of laminated steel. Like all Mora knives, they are handled with oiled Birchwood, which is chunky enough to fill your hand to give you ultimate control. They also come with a plastic sheath for ease of storage and carry.

Mora’s woodcarving knives are well-known and appreciated precision tools used by woodcarvers in Nusnäs, for example. This is where one of Sweden’s most recognized national symbols – the Dala Horse is carved. 

Pros

• The handles are easy to make use of
• It is very sharp
• The blade is strong and durable
• Can add a handmade leather sheath
• Has an easy feel on your arms to avoid blisters 

Cons

• The blade is too long
• The knife lacks versatility

Carving Performance

You will not be let down by its laminated carbon core blade’s precision if you have never carved with a mora knife which is a crying shame. However, it’s never too late because you can start with this one here. You never have to be worried about it not performing well on tight curves and its general maneuverability. 

Blade Length

It is very satisfying to feel the 106 cuts through more significant fractions of wood with ease and hardly any tension. Although you’ll need to hone the blade to maintain edge retention, it does not need honing as often as other knives due to the blade’s superior toughness and edge resiliency.

The only quality that varies among all Mora knives, besides blade length, is the handle, which the basic mora and the 105 have different handles than the traditional oiled birch spindle-shaped one that the mora 106 has.

Blade Strength and Stability 

Here we are looking at the tang of the knife. The tang of a knife refers to the blade length, not just the part of the blade you see, but what you don’t see inside the handle. The good thing is that this knife has a long blade, and the tang is also deep.

Most common types of Woodworking Knives

Woodcarving can be as straightforward or complex as the project requires, or the carver cares to make it. You can do a fantastic amount of work on small basswood carvings with just a chip-carving knife and add a few gouges, and your range of carving possibilities increases.

Chip Carving Knife

Probably the first tool a wood carver starts with is a knife, and its primary use is for whittling and chip carving. A chip carving knife has a blade about 1 1/2″ long and has a handle designed to fit comfortably in hand. 

Flat chisel

They are not usually used for sculpture because the edge of a flat chisel tends to dig into the wood, twist, and plunge the tool deeper on one side than the carver may have desired. 

U-Gouges

Gouges are the workhorses of wood carving. They are designated by the width of the cutting edge, the sweep, or the amount of curvature of the cutting edge and the shape of the shaft. 

Skew

A skew chisel’s cutting edge is angled back from the leading edge at a 45-degree angle.

Palm gouge

A chip carving knife and an assortment of palm gouges are needed for creating small carvings in basswood or other softwoods. It is best to purchase individual chisels that you know you will be using. 

Band Saw

A band saw has a long, thin blade welded into a loop. An electric motor powers the blade around two large wheels. The band saw is the woodcarver’s most often used significant power tool. It quickly cuts off scrap wood, saving you the work of removing it by hand. 

To cut out a small carving, trace a pattern of the subject’s front view and side view onto the block of wood. Cut out the side view. Save the two side pieces and put everything back together again.

Drill Press

The drill press is another invaluable shop tool. It drills precise holes, but other attachments can be added, such as a sanding drum.

Belt Sander

A belt sander is another tool that comes in handy for doing so many things during a carving project. Once you have one, it seems indispensable.

Chain Saw

A chain saw is a handy tool to rough out logs for large carvings. For shop use, I prefer an electric model.

Our Verdict

All in all, the Mora 106 Knife is the go-for and go-to knife. It does not matter if you are new to woodwork or a professional; such a knife will put you on a whole new level. So give it a try and see what this knife can do for you and your wood, but trust me, you will not regret it. 

You may also want to see our Morakniv Basic Wood Carving Knife Review & Morakniv 133005 Carving Knife Review.