I am using a lamination of 1/8" thick strips of ash and cherry alternating to build up the outer stempieces on my current boat. This gives a nice decorative effect. At the present time the boat is glassed and sanded but not varnished, I will post a pic when the boat is varnished.

As for using oak with epoxy I have used this combination on several projects with out any problem or special treatment, in fact, oak is one of my favorite materials for gunn'ls due to its strength and availability.