I am looking at building a new router table extension wing for my tablesaw, and have decided to try to make the wing out of side grain hard maple, similar to the style commonly used for workbenches. I really can't see any fault with this. It will allow me to make the top as thick as I feel I need to (probably 1.5" thick with the side/end boards being 2.5" tall so they can have room to bolt to the tablesaw boltholes).

I tried using my sawstop extension wing with my router and lift mounted, but got too much sag over 3-4 years, even with some angle iron screwed in to help stiffen the top. I think a sidegrain top with some stiffeners would give me a top I could level and help prevent any sag in the long run.

I really can't find any faults in the idea, other than maybe wanting as little friction as possible when I feed wood, whichphonelic/metal/formica will have the less inherent friction than wood. But I think with a well sanded surface and wax, this will be a minimal concern.

Any other comments/concerns/experiences?