Roly Nelson wrote:Am I on the right track, or would I be making a big mistake by coating these members, with a 2 part epoxy material?
Roly, epoxy is probably the finest product for sealing end grain. If you want a 'good forever' job, you need to keep loading end grain while the resin is wet - even if the epoxy is gelling in under 10 minutes, you will still be able to get at least three 'coats' wicked up into the grain by capillary action. Overcoating, with any product, is not problem - epoxy is often the base for isolating primers - just always sand the epoxy before overcoating.
I got taught to use epoxy by a former wood boat builder and he had a nice description of finishing wood with epoxy - epoxy is just like really good varnish that can be applied six coats at a time!
Andrew