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i have played around with using epoxy on the inside edges instead of varnish....

then filing it down nice and smooth

the miniature amount of material added makes up for the material lost from the saw cut...

makes a nice tight fit.

anyone have any ideas of why not to do this?

That's how I've built boards, cant see any reason not to, epoxy is very resistant.

Yeah epoxy is good. I have used a dremel to remove a mm or two of core material then build up a Gflex 650 sidewall. It was dece.

Epoxy can chip (and might down the road). It also does not absorb into the wood, just bonds to the top. Make sure the wood is nice and clean/dry and has no dust. Do it a single layer and add more if needed, rather than a thick layer.

Varathene will absorb into the wood and treat it make a water proof layer when it dries. It is also good for the wood, like a stain on a bar-top. Same goes more material cleaning and layering.

That being said I don't think you can really go too wrong. I have done the epoxy trick to tighten a not-so-perfect cut back into square. I prefer a good clean cut and the varathene, looks sexy too!

mmm. there are a lot of different epoxies out there, and a lot of ways epoxy can go on. While it may be pretty expensive like 30-40 bucks, some surfboard uv-treated clear epoxy, if applied when plenty warm, like 70 f or better will soak well into the wood and can be light sanded or wetsanded to be really smooth, matte finish. It wont chip unless a thick layer of it is laid down. A high-end oldhouse remodeling technique for old window wood on the exterior is to soak the wood with epoxy resin, sanding back to the wood surface. It does make a great seal and won't chip, but you need one more coat to go for a gloss look, which opens the door to chipping a bit. Regular wood sealants are a lot cheaper and easier, and you'll just have that can in the garage forever for another coat.

I honestly don't know a reason not to do this, but after re-reading your post a few times I'm confused about something. Unless you are drilling the hook and clip holes prior to cutting the board, why the need to make up for the lost material? Not trying to be a dick, I'm just genuinely curious...

My method has been to cut, sand & then mount the hardware. After that I then apply the 3-4 light coats of Spar Urethane. Makes for a super tight fit & when things start to get 'rattly' I know it's time to reapply a coat or two.

Snurfer-

the process goes like this

cut the board
drill the holes, mount hardware
add epoxy (much smaller than a mm of epoxy on each side wall)
too thick of an epoxy layer to put the board together easily
sand down till it fits together and to personal preference.

the boards i have done like this have come out with a tight fit similar my venture factory split...and if you've ridden a venture you know those things fit together pretty tight.

my main concern is with chipping away of the epoxy.

maniadaves got the right idea, easy to control varathene and it lays down nice and flat. I like to epoxy any damage along the way though.