The rule for air drying green wood is one year per inch of thickness. Seal the end grain so it won't lose moisture too quickly or the peice will crack of check. I just paint the ends with whatever latex house paint I have laying around. Elmer's Glue works just fine as well. I wouldn't put the wood in a room with wood heat. There is no substitute for patience when it comes to air drying. In the old days, a father would cut the wood his son would use.
The paraffin on the ends will keep the wood from drying too quickly. I dried some walnut in my unheated attic for several years. I just stacked and stickered it and left it there until I needed it for a project. Sounds like you are on the right track.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Nice looking pieces of wood! I would dry them 'as is' and then work them down to dimensions using whatever tools/machines you have available. Here is a slab of burl maple I air dried for 3+ years in a barn and then worked it down for making the dulcimer I have posted in another thread: 
updated by @kusani: 01/20/17 07:27:48PM
