I recently cleaned up and milled a 150 year old 12" x 12" x 6' walnut beam into two 4" x 12" x 6' puncheons, plus the box heart slab. I decided to cut the beam into only two slabs in order to keep my design options open. I build furniture. Though I'm not usually a big fan of walnut, the wood is beautiful. My intention is to use it after only air drying, if possible.
The beam before milling was significantly cracked on one side from one end to the other. Most of this crack was milled out with the box heart. There is very shallow (less than one inch) radial cracking on the beam ends. What would have been the interior sides of the puncheons feel damp to the touch. I've sticker and stacked the wood in my basement shop. I don't have a moisture meter. Should I seal the ends, or shorten and seal the ends? I know it would be best to rough out some smaller pieces now to facilitate drying but I'm not really ready to do that. I've had the timber for over 35 years and am not in a hurry. Any thoughts, advice, or ideas? Thanks, Bill