I got a good deal on some 100 year old 2x8 heart pine lumber. They are a full 2". I want to make a dining table top out of them and have a few questions. I have built a few basic things with pine boards from HD, but I would consider this to be my first "real" woodworking project. Most of the work will be getting the top like I want it, as of right now I am planning to use metal legs/base to give it a bit of modern industrial look. 1. what would you do to assure you have all of the nails out before you put it through your planer? I don't have a planer but am going to invest in one for this project - and to have for future projects. 2. What is the ideal thickness of the top? would you consider having them re-sawn (in half) to make them closer to a 1x8? I don't have the tools to do this myself but can have it done for about $40. I'm just worried that by the time I joint and plane them, that it might be too thin but also don't want the table to be any heavier than it needs to be, also don't want to waste any more of each board than needed. Any thoughts/advice is much appreciated.