Aaahhhhh. Sweet gum! Very rowey, interlocked grain wood. Not crack prone at all. In fact, it's often impossible to split the stuff for firewood.

Very bug prone.

First thing, get the bark off and break it down with a chain saw.
You can then resaw the chunks on your band saw.

I would watch for evidence of borers and scrap sections aggressively. You may end up cutting off the sap wood, depending on how it goes.

Get some anchor seal and one of the bug killers listed. Saw it up, douse the wood in bug killer and then coat the ends with anchor seal. From there, you can stack and sticker and let it dry in the shade some place outdoors, away from the house, with good air circulation. I would also lay some tin roof on top of the stacks to keep the rain out.

Sweet gum was traditionally used for produce crates and dunnage. The wood isn't crack prone, but it likes to warp. Grain wise, it's beige, sort of porous, and interlocking.

If it was me... I'd let it season outdoors through a couple summer/winter cycles to stress relieve the wood. Hopefully, that will get the movement worked out.

Best of luck with your project.