Drying Hornbeam

[markinengland]

Any tips on drying hornbeam. I have some, fresh cut, split in half. I wonder if it would be best to take the bark off like with ash or dry it with the bark on.
Mark in England

[DanaM]

I cut some 5 to 6 logs last fall, I sealed the ends split them in half and removed the bark, then sealed the back with 2 coats of shellac.
They have been stored in a unheated shed all winter and no signs of checking. This was HHB. If ya remove the bark I would seal the back.

[Canoe]

Hello MarkInEngland,

I managed to get a drying crack the whole length of the heart wood in my split HHB.
What I did was; seal the ends, split it half (Lengthwise), and then I just laid it under the basement stairs where it's nice and dry. - So, don't do that!

I suggest you seal the ends, split it, then remove the bark.  And store it in, perhaps, your garage, or where the moisture levels is not so dramatically low.  You can leave it in there for a month or two, while it looses moisture more slowly - then move it to the basement.  
(but, if you put it in a garage, or an open-air barn of sort, you might want to spray it down with bug spray to keep the little nasties out of your staves.)

All the best,
Canoe