Getting ready to finish some lumber

[joegeds]

Guys, I posted this in the forestry and logging forum and now think it's better for this forum - mods, please delete whichever one you feel is appropriate.  I was hoping some of you could tell me if I'm on the right track with this dilemma:
I have access to a room full of professional woodworking equipment, so my buddy asked me for a favor.  He has a bunch of walnut that he got when he had a walnut tree removed years ago.  He had a guy come out and mill it for him in exchange for some of the resulting lumber.  He has had 11 boards in his garage for about 10 years.  He has them stored properly with stickers about every 2 feet separating each board.  I don't have a moisture meter, but it is very dry.  They are all 9' long and 13" wide and no live edges.  9 of them are 1.1" thick, another is 1.4" thick, and the last is 1.8" thick.  None of the ends are split whatsoever, and there is very little warping and/or twisting.
My thought is that I should rip the 13" wide boards in half.  Two reasons for this:
1) I'm afraid that they are still prone to splitting. 
2) The jointer at the shop is 8".  If i rip them, I can run one face on the jointer - assuring a flat face, then run the other face on the planer.
I just don't see a reason to keep them 13" wide.  BTW, I am only referring to the 9 boards that are 1.1" thick.  The two that are thicker I will just run through the planer and keep them 13" wide.  Does my plan sound reasonable, or should I keep them all 13" wide and run them through the planer?
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[WLC]

What does your buddy plan on doing with the lumber?  That question needs to be asked first.

[joegeds]

I'm not sure what he plans to do with it.  i know he wants to make a bar top with the thicker pieces.  Can you tell me for what type of project the wide board would be better for?

[Kbeitz]

Small pieces is never worth what a wide piece is.

[Magicman]

I would not favor doing anything until I knew what the use would be.   I certainly would not suggest ripping the 13" boards.

[joegeds]

Small pieces is never worth what a wide piece is.

I agree.  But given the advantage of running the first side through a jointer makes this a harder decision.  Because running a piece through a planer doesn't necessarily make the board flat does it?  It's my understanding that running it through a jointer does.

[WDH]

Face jointing before planing assures a flatter board. 

[Dan_Shade]

Make a sled for your planer

[YellowHammer]

I also would not rip high value, wide boards into narrow boards.   

There are techniques for running wider than capacity pieces on a jointer, depending on the jointer configuration, and then using a piece of board under only the jointed strip of the board, as a simple sled.

Or a real jointer sled. 

Or if the planer has adjustable height bed rollers, you can drop them completely into the bed to have a flat planer bed which serves as a short bed jointer (not quite as good as a real jointer, but still flattens reasonably well).  A planer with the rollers up is really just a thicknesser and the board will curl around the rollers.

[Magicman]

Thank You YH.  (See Reply #4)