Easy way to cure a fresh limb of walnut wood from the tree so I will use it for a project?

Question

About 8 inches in diameter 4 feet long ,should I split it with a sowh

Answer 1

You can cut it to reduce the drying time, but the wood is going to shrink by 50 to 80% depending on where you are and what season it is.  You should remove the bark and place it someplace where the natural temperature isn't going to exceed 150 F.  Place it on newspapers to absorb the moisture.  If you aren't going to require the natural shape of the limb, surface it; cut the bark and a slight amount of the wood off, that will allow the moisture to leave the wood faster.

Answer 2

Assuming you intend to build a project from the wood of the walnut, allowing the wood to naturally dry out will take quite a long time.  A woodworking friend typically allowed logs of wood to cure for at least a year!  He was concerned about "checking" of the wood (splitting of the wood along the rays).  He would seal the ends of the logs with wax or paint and leave the bark on the log.  The sealing of the ends was to slow the drying of the wood so it wouldn't check.

An alternative to natural drying of the wood is to locate a lumber mill that has a kiln to dry the wood.  They may be convinced to add your piece of wood in their load.