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Hello. I'm new to this forum and completely new to not only guitar building but also woodworking in general. I'm not really sure where to post this or if there are rules on this so I apologize in advance. I am slowly moving through my first guitar build and saving money paycheck to paycheck in order to get the neccesary tools and jigs. In the meantime a family member has given me several slabs of kiln dried walnut. I have recut them in order to get back and side sets. I am wondering if I can go ahead and sand them down to there final dimensions all at once just to have them on hand for future builds Would there be a chance of them cracking over time or would they be okay sitting like this? Thanks again for any help.

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After lumber is resawed it tends to want to "move" some to relieve internal stresses . Kiln dried moves less than green wood but still can warp and twist a little, so I would leave it as is for a couple of years, or until you use it. Painting the end grain can reduce the tendency of wood to "end check" but some wood seems to split no matter what you do - better that it happens before you build with it.
You can consult with the forum before you buy a lot of specialized lutherie tools. Often there are cheaper alternatives and work-a-rounds
that can save you money and save you from buying stuff you don't need.

I would not sand them to thickness in advance. In addition to what Clay mentions, having your plates at or near final thickness will make it much more difficult to joint the halves together evenly. It is much easier to joint a top and back when the halves are thicker then bring it all down to final thickness all at once. Also, when you have the plates at final thickness you have to handle them more carefully than you would in rough sets. You'll be moving them around from time to time in and out of storage.

_________________
Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

After I resaw a bunch of sets I just run them through a planner to get the saw marks off and clean them up. As mentioned final thicknessing comes when you are building the guitar, especially for top wood. Sides maybe you can get away with final thicknessing.

If you have a humidity controlled shop and the wood has already been kiln dried then just stack them and maybe put a couple bricks on top to weigh them down. No need to sticker dry wood in a controlled shop imho.