Live edge cookie/slice table for outdoor use questions.

My mother is still mourning the loss of their ponderosa pine tree that was in their front yard. My stepdad believed it blocked too much of their view of the water.

Anyhow, one of the kids that cut it down, pulled aside a 3” x 36” slice for her. Her hope was that something could be done to it, to preserve the memory.

It was coated in pentacryl, and wrapped. My little moisture meter showed it at 35% when I got it. Now it’s showing around 13-15%. I’m assuming that number needs to be a little closer to single digits before I can get to work on it? Fine if that’s the case. I’ve got shoulder surgery next week, and all work will be stopping for a bit.

Here are my main concerns.

1. Pine isn’t naturally resistant to rot and this table’s intended use is for outdoors. Seems like a bad idea right off the bat. My hope is that finishing the slice in penetrating epoxy and Epifanes, will help slow its ultimate fate. I could just add refinishing mom’s table to my to do list every year or so.

Is there a better alternative? Of course, not having it outside would be best, but that’s not going to be an option.

2. There are a couple hairline cracks in the slice. None of which look deep. None of them have traveled in the drying process either. My first thought was to add some bow ties to the mix. I scored some free Purple Heart scraps from a local cabinet shop, and I thought adding a couple over the cracks would help offset an otherwise boring piece of wood. I was all set to go with that plan, then I saw that there are different types of bow ties. Decorative and structural. I was looking at decorative ones. No more that 1/4” deep. Structural ones(Dutchman), are much thicker, based off of the thickness of the project.

Should I be thinking along those lines, or since the cracks don’t seem deep and haven’t traveled, I’d be fine with decorative ones? Keep in mind my next question as well.

3. I haven’t fully decided on the legs yet. I may just keep it simple and go with pin legs like every other live edge table. It’s kind of boring to me, but I’m having trouble coming up with a better idea. I’m seeing that sinking C-channel into the bottom side of the table is a good way to counteract movement. The process looks easy. I’m just wondering if there’s a rule of thumb for the size of channel to be used?
Home Depot has 2” x 1/2” x 1/8” thick channel for pretty cheap. Is the 1/2 in depth and the 1/8” I thickness enough?
Is C-channel and epoxy enough for me to get away with decorative inlay on the hairline cracks?

This is for my mom, so none of it is a waste of time. If this is just going to turn into a mess in a couple months, I’m all ears for any suggestions on how to make that not happen.

Any help would be great.

Thank you!!