I'm in Arizona and there's a real problem with cracking due to very low relative humidity. I've been boiling some smallish (8"-10") bowls in hopes of reducing cracking during drying. I'm wondering how long I should be boiling? I've been letting them boil at a low roll for about 2 hours or a little longer if possible. Who else is using this technique and what are your experiences with boiling? So far I'm just doing hickory and mesquite (I think it's Chilean mesquite). The mesquite seems pretty stable except for around knots but the hickory is really prone to cracking. REALLY pretty wood, though.