I think with the walnut you can split staves and debark, as long as you seal the ends. With the locust, I would keep the log whole with the bark on, unless you intend to take the staves down to near finished dimensions. Otherwise, twisting and checking will likely be an issue if you split out and debark locust. Also, locust is a heartwood, the sapwood is useless and needs to be removed. Best of luck
Julian
