Whatever you decide for a project calculate the usable board feet of wood that you have then proceed. Small holes can be filled, large holes can be plugged but have to know what you have first and how much wood you will need for your project.

 

A small table,saw horses,shelves

 

I think a bench is a good idea for a salvage project. As for the staples/nails, try knocking them apart with a mallet. Where you might run into trouble though is if it's been glued as well. If so you will most likely end up breaking a chunk off one piece or the other. If you can't knock it apart, try cutting around the staples/nails with a jig saw or sawsall. It might not hurt to invest in an inexpensive hand held metal detector and checking the rest of the wood for stray fragments. You never know.

Good luck.

 

Wow-i am really grateful and impressed for the speedy feedback and advise. Apologies for following up-took me a while to find an imperial measuring tape ;-)
Here are the dimensions:
74"x35 1/4" (x2)
slats-28 1/2" x3 1/2" (x10)-Chris, i think i have to cut them. They look like they're staple-gunned in there and i have a crowbar, but i am afraid i will lose the whole piece if i use it
37"x3 1/2" (x2)
Oh, and thickness is 6/8"
Thanks!

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Here is what i did with the lumber. Thanks so much!

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649