So much sanding… this is my life now…
Ended up applying the second coat of epoxy with nothing but an epoxy spreader. I only intended to use that tool to spread things out evenly before rolling and tipping, but just squeegeeing it on worked so well that I decided to call it good. This resulted in a thin glassy smooth layer with minimal waste. I’ll dust this with 220-grit and put on a final coat probably in the same way but also tip it with a brush.
Oh, and I ordered the Worx saw. The 2″ cut-depth (for other projects), price, and plethora of positive reviews sold it.