I have had no trouble with sapwood left on provided the quarters weren't from a large dia log, and left that way. I always split into staves/billets, piggy back splits, to minimize tangential shrinkage when drying, rather than leave oversized quarters. I also prefer PVA rather than shellac, as its thicker yet has more flexibility.
The problem you potentially have is that you have quite a few staves and that is a lot of work, unless you leave the bark on and hope for the best regarding bug attacks. Never tried the diesel on bark, hope it works good. It can be daunting to do a lot of staves in one hit if you haven't done it before. The more experienced you become the quicker you get. Admittedly I usually end up taking all the sapwood off eventually if there are good heartwood rings below. I only really leave the sapwood on because it gives me a bit more time without having to worry about bugs starting holes, before taking them down to the final growth ring, if I don't have the time right there and then.
A lot of successful seasoning comes down to the climate of where you live, and how you store the wood.
A friend of mine lives about 50miles away, but is at a much higher altitude. He has no trouble drying timber without checking, pretty much seals the endgrain and leaves in large sections. It is significantly hotter in summer where I live, 10-15 deg Celcius and doing the same thing without extra precautions of breaking the timber down into smaller thicknesses results in heavy checking for me.
You will do fine.
Hamish.
