On the finish process.
First - you need to build a sufficiently thick finish
Then - you level the finish.
A good rule of thumb for starters is 0.010"-0.015" of finish build prior to leveling so you can hit 0.002"-0.003" final levelled finish thickness.
That's a lot more than brushing on 1 or 2 coats... More like 8-15 coats.
Between coats with varnish or poly - I scuff and knock down high spots. It's important there to minimize crossgrain scratching.
Once you have built your finish... Move to leveling. I wet sand working my way from 400 up to 2,000 and then hand rub with compound. Change the water between grits so you don't contaminate your fine paper with coarse grit.
One trick here is to start each grit with crossgrain sanding to level and finish with long grain sanding to remove the crossgrain scratches. Then move to the next grit crossgrain and then long grain....
I don't generally sand out 100% of the little dips before I move on to a finer grit... I usually stop at 90 or 95% to minimize risk of sanding through the finish.
Thanks
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