You don't seem to be understanding what we are trying to convey. You do not want to try to seal the whole log. That will impede the drying of the log. We want the log to dry evenly. This is what will reduce checking. The ends of the logs are very porous, and much like cutting an artery, will bleed moisture out faster from the ends, causing the ends to dry quickly and the middle to still have lots of moisture. You seal the ends so that moisture can escape only out of the outside skin of the log. You remove the bark so that outside skin can breathe and release the moisture. Moisture escaping out the skin will happen slowly and with the ends sealed, the log will release the moisture much more evenly, thus preventing many of the large internal stresses that are caused by uneven drying. You've got to understand that when the water leaves, the fibers shrink, so if it shrinks in one place faster than another, it creates internal stress, and a check opens up relieving that stress- the fibers basically rip apart in that area.
The other methods described are other ways to try and control checking. If you were using timbers, sawing your logs to your timber size would help control checking, because usually the smaller the piece, the smaller the checking and the easier to control it. Think about it, in a smaller stick, the water has a shorter distance to travel out and will dry quicker than a larger piece. As long as you control how evenly with end grain sealing and shade, smaller pieces will check smaller. But since you are going to build round, this does not apply to you.
The kerfing mentioned basically tries to control checking by creating an artificial check or stress relief. Instead of fighting itself as the log shrinks radially, it can shrink away from the kerf, and the kerf will open up like a check as the log shrinks.
Isn't there someplace you can put your logs in the shade?
