Pat you bring up a good point!
With dark woods like yew,, juniper I will put the wood in before boiling and then start the timer when it comes to a boil.
With dense woods such as oceanspray, osage, and ipe I will soak the wood either over night or a few days. Then boil. with this method you can Bend the wood around a coffee cup without tearing or raising a splinter:)
Vine maple is a stretchy and fiberous wood so a straight boil is sufficient
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Thank for the input!