Wow Gutshot, that is a beauty!
I have started on the dogwood. I am in the process of roughing it down with a hatchet. What looked to be pipe straight and knot free is revealing some hidden gems.
It has a slight curve, a handful of knots appeared in one limb, and I noticed a deep check on the other limb. I hope the knots disappear as I remove more wood, and I may be able to miss the check with layout.
This dogwood is sure some tough, hard wood. I stopped chopping as I was getting a blister. Will get back on it tomorrow.
Here are some pics of the stave roughing and the polish you can get on a blade with some japanese waterstones... and hours of sharpening