If I may join in this thread?
I've been avidly reading Alan's guide, as I recently acquired one of Chris Boyton's ash staves, which is a chunky old lump of timber - it looks a bit like this:
Though this is hickory, and my stave has the bark removed.
Do you think it's an idea to get the stave slimmed down by a friendly sawmill first, so I have less wood removal to do? Or should I be able to work it down myself OK - and if so, any recommended approaches?