Here is what a friend of mine has used on wood and I use on all the ivory I use. Place your oversize pices but not huge pieces in a microwave and get them up to past warm but not real hot. In my microwave this takes about 20 sec. Start with less time. If over heated for sure you will end up with a mess. Let the pieces cool and repeat another three or four times. Some woods especially fresh ones will have the sides drawn inward. I have dried ivory this way that has only been out of the ground for a few months.Resize the pieces to closer to what you will use. You can then place the pieces in a canning jar with rubber seals, fill with Min Wax wood hardener, leave the lid loose and bring the Min Wax up to boiling. Be very careful this stuff is very inflamable. Then close the lid tight. leave it for a couple of days , open remove your pieces and put aside for a few hours before being used. The Min Wax can be reused. Simple but it works very well. The microwave heats from the inside of the piece. Frank