Bihn Pho - WOW!!!

[tony tomlinson]

I received a DVD for Xmas wherein Bihn Pho turns and hollows a chunk of wet wood into a vessel abount 8" diameter by perhaps 12"-14" long. When he finishes hollowing to paper thin wall thickness, he says he puts it into a series of paper bags for a few days, and then stores it outside for a few weeks, to dry. My question, as a novice turner, is wouldn't the vessel crack and warp badly?
I'd appreciate your thoughts, thanks

[Marty Tippin]

The paper bags are to control the rate of drying - they regulate the humidity difference between the inside of the bag and the ambient air.

Any green wood will warp and twist to some extent when it dries. If it dries too fast, it might also crack.

[Bob Bergstrom]

I was fortunate to spend a whole day in his studio some years ago. He turns those vessels from box elder (which is pretty stable), but they all don't make it without cracking. We got to practice piercing and air brushing on some of the rejects. He did show us his stash of wood and he had blocks ebony and African Blackwood along with planks of other exotics.