I won't be of much help regarding how long it will take for it to dry, but I think the "1 year per 1" rule" is for boards rather than blanks. Individual blanks have less mass, so they will dry more quickly than, say, an 8' board. I would probably keep the end grain sealed with at least latex paint or rub parafin on it to avoid checking. With a heater going in the house, I would think that it would dry well (not too fast) by sitting on a shelf or table... might even put a couple of pencils or something under it to allow airflow around the whole blank.
