My personal favorite is a slow-cure epoxy with any number of oil finishes on top,
Sorry if I am misunderstanding you but, you would put epoxy on first and oil on top???
Sorry but I don't think that will work. If you go the other way as I have and use something like Watco then put a satin urethane on top, that and makes a nice durable finish.
Blacktailer
Epoxy makes a great wood finish and is as waterproof as wood gets. There are a number of secrets to making it work well such as never thinning it and warming the stock before applying to aid penetration.
Oil looks better than epoxy and is easy to apply and repair. I have never found a single issue with oil not sticking to epoxy with the exception of some very exotic formulas with various additives for specific functions.
Spar varnish under oil is far better than the reverse. The oil does not make it waterproof at all. Oil finishes are worse than bare wood for fending off atmospheric water. Further, spar varnish does a far better and faster job of filling pores. And the spar varnish will not shrink nearly as much as the oil.
Next, never use anything but gloss finishes on quality pieces. Silica is usually the additive that is used to create satin or matte finishes. Silica does absolutely nothing positive for the finish other than obscure the wood beneath and weaken the finish and leaving the surface rough.
A good rubbed out eggshell luster on oil does not hide the wood...
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