Msparker.
While in hospital last year I thought of using two, two metre kitchen worktops glued together to make an 80mm thickness bench-top. That seemed to find favour with one or two other forum members. Chris Schwartz uses bench-tops like this, in his more simple bench design, so I can't claim originality of the idea. The only downside I could see was that these worktops are put together without any regard to grain direction of the separate laminations. This means you would have difficulty flattening the top with a plane. They are pretty flat to begin with and that might satisfy some workers. There is a furniture store online, (quite well known) which uses laminated oak boards for making their furniture; they boast, all solid oak; 'there is no plywood here'. Clearly they don't have regard for quality veneered furniture! Since I haven't made much furniture lately, I have some of their stuff. It's not made how I would build furniture, but for the money it is pretty solid; although they do need to find a way of making better drawers.
To answer the original enquiry it would depend upon what you intend making, as to whether or not laminated boards are suitable. In the 90s there was a a book full of pine furniture designs, all made with laminated pine boards as long as you select boards to make the best job I don't see any reason why not. Certainly if you have no means of milling timber you can crack on and make some nice furniture. In the nineties there was a lot of panels made from laminated, Philippine Mahogany; (Luan). They were okay, and although soft, I used some for my workbench top back then. It's battered now, but renewing with 40mm beech worktop is feasible. However at this end of my journey, I think I will manage now.
The book is : Pine-Furniture-Projects, by MacKenzie
It appears we can't paste URLs any more. Retrograde step?
John
