Kevin,
Just finished a butternut live edge slab table for my wife last week. Sanded it to 400 grit and then applied 5 coats of minwax warm gloss polyurethane. I went over lightly with 000 steel wool between each coat, tack clothed it then applied the poly and repeated this process for all 5 coats. When completed it had a beautiful finish and just as beautiful as any epoxy resin that I have done and seen. Good luck with your table!
Richard
Ashland, VA