Hi Tim....me too! I acquired mine about a year ago. Much of it was standing-dead, so dried rapidly; the remainder was still live, green timber. It was all cut into 1 metre lengths and the ends waxed, but all of the green timber split like mad, despite being stored in the shade, underneath overhanging trees. However, the standing dead wood is now quite dry and is yielding suitable pieces, although it's fairly bland. One major drawback with elder is the soft pith that it develops....every single log had either a very soft pith, or one that was already spreading decay into the heartwood.
Les