Like the title says, I really am anxious to get my second build on! But the staves my friend and I went and cut are posted up in the shed drying out. I knocked the sap wood off a stave today only to find that the wood was still very moist.
On the bright side, I found an excellent tool to help me learn more about the surrounding trees in my area. It is the Arbor Tree ID app for the iphone. It looks like the picture posted below. I think it is extremely beneficial for noobs like me and hope some of you get help from it too!
Other than that, I'm praying my wood dries up quick! here are a few pics of the staves we have drying, some of it I believe is black walnut, im hoping the other is black cherry, and a third tree is unknown and I'm unsure of that wood's properties. Also, there is a link to a funny video of my axe breaking on me if you want a laugh. My face looks like someone stomped my puppy!
http://youtu.be/8Q56eiA5fR4-WodMunk