Here is another gorgeous wood island with a gas cook top.

It's doable from a technical standpoint. But, I'd really really hate cooking at that first island that you pic. There is no room to move without hitting your hips. And the second isn't much better. No landing space to one side in that huge island is another "duh". Why they couldn't have pulled it over a bit and give a bit more of a safety zone is beyond me.

Have you posted your layout? There might be a way to move the cooktop off of the island that wouldn't be so costly. If you have an exterior wall, putting it there can end up saving you money and increasing the quality of the ventilation.

I assume your concern about a gas top in wood counter is due to the flammability of wood?

People have been putting gas cooktops in formica- topped counters for decades. Formica is not only mounted on a celluosic-based (i.e. mostly wood) substrate, but is itself flammable, giving off toxic vapors as it burns as well. If I have a fire, I'd vastly prefer to deal with burning wooden counter than a burning plastic one!

A bigger issue, I think, would be grease and food splatters generated by cooking being hard to keep from damaging the wood cosmetically. And to some degree the excess steam created by boiling might be hard on the joints in a made-up wood top.

I have a powerfull gas range mounted next to a large slab (about 1 meter square) of mahogany counter (distance to flames less than 4" horizontally with enameled metal and stainless edging in the gap). This is an unjointed slab of wood from a huge tree, so no seams. Of course I have to remember to never set a hot pot on it (trivets needed.) But the main thing is that it requires removal every now and then for a heavy outdoor scrub to tidy up grease splatters. I use hot water, a coir scrub brush (a Japanese tawashi vegetable brush) and good dishwashing soap like Dawn, followed by a good rinse with a garden hose and drying in an airy spot out of the sun. Once a decade or so I use oxalic acid to remove badly stained areas, followed by a light hand sanding and recoating with protectant. In former years (before it came into my care it was in my childhood kitchen for about 30+ years) it was treated with unknown oil (probably mneral, but I don't know for certain). Since I've had it I only use a beeswax and mineral combo I cooked up myself. I give it several coats over the course of a week or so after it has dried from its bath, then once a month or so, and then after that only rarely. I wipe it clean before (indoor cats, 'nuff said) and after every meal and zap it with various pump spray counter-top cleaning products perhaps 5 or 6 times a week, depending on what I've used the surface for. As a rule I don't use it as a cutting board, though I don't really baby it either and occasionally will slice something on it as I prep.

HTH

L.

I have butcher block next to my range. As liriodendron said, the main issue is grease splatter. I just scrub mine with soap and water and seal it with mineral oil. Mine is used as a chopping surface, so I'm not concerned about damage.
The main problem I see is where to set hot pots. I have a tile surface to set them on two feet from the range, so it's not an issue.

I have teak around my gas 36" cooktop and Miele builtin deep fat fryer. It has been there for over 6 yrs now. We do a ton of stir frying and deep fat frying. We have it sealed with Waterlox. I haven't ever done anything to the teak but wipe it off with the dish cloth when I do the dishes. Has no residue on it at all and looks like it did when installed. I use the top of the deep fat fryer as a landing spot if I need one but as a rule there is no need for a landing spot when you have a 36" cooktop..just slide the pot over. Hope this helps. Here is a pic: