I was curious to know if anyone else used wood slabs as a base for their centerpieces. FH uncle cut some up for us, but the smell is terrible. They are in my basement now, and we have a fan on them and a dehumidifier running in hopes to get some air through them. Just wondering if anyone knows how to get the smell out of them and how to prevent them from cracking. FH is afraid once they completely dry out, they will crack. I couldn't really find anything super useful on Google. Hoping you lovely ladies and gents can help! Thanks!