tb, it's sounds like you're thinking way too hard about all of this. I say that because I often find myself doing it.
I can only speak from personal experience and I agree with Jim on almost everything he's mentioned. However, I do believe that the 6-8 week timber curing makes a difference when initially cutting the frame and just after it's up. After that it does what it wants especially when you turn the heat up to 70 in the house. The 6-8 weeks seems to give the wood time to stabilize. If stored outside under cover, any moisture that's going to leave the wood will do it in that time frame, atleast until it's exposed to the dry house heat. I also do this because of the quote in Steve's book. I have no scientific evidence to prove this. I guess you'd have to measure moisture content on a daily basis for 8 weeks and of course the season would matter.
I cut the timbers for my house, sent them right to the planer and stacked them for 6-8 weeks under cover. Some much longer and it didn't seem to matter. The timbers only dried about 1/2" - 1" deep, the core was soaking wet. It took me 7 months to cut the frame, finished in February, raised it in July, and there was very little tuning that needed to be done. The frame was nearly flawless........... until I dropped the ball getting the roof on in time. This basically ruined the finish. So bad that I found my self sanding and oiling the frame again. It was miserable..... don't waste any time getting the roof on and getting it enclosed. That's the most important lesson I learned.
Mill, plane, stack (under cover)6-8 wks, cut joinery, raise frame, and get the thing enclosed ASAP.
