OK. So I sanded off the previous brushed on coat with 320 grit paper. It appeared perfectly flat and smooth. Vacuumed, wiped off dust. Pristine surface.

Now I brushed again with Grammercy tools brush, using Waterlox Original S/F with penetrol added. Perhaps this did help with levelling, but again I see brush marks and spots where the finish has lines from thicker finish than others. It did not level at all perfectly. With wiped on coats, all of these issues would be moot.

So I'm anticipating that in 24 hours I'll be sanding again. The only good news is that all these brushed on, and sanded off coats have made all the pores totally sealed (the few that were missed with the grain sealer a month ago).

So where do I go from here? I'm trying to obtain a semi-gloss, smooth surface. One with that really nice rubbed out feel and look. There is no question that the Waterlox looks fantastic on this sapele, but I really want a great surface when I'm done.

Any suggestions? Should I think about wiping on Waterlox and then topping with another finish that I can rub out. Is P&L 38 more forgiving? Should I drag out the HVLP stuff and spray on the Waterlox, or another finish? And if sprayed, wouldn't that be an even thinner coat that would prevent rubbing it out?

I've been working on this project for 9 months. The finish line is in sight. I thought a few days ago I was within an hour of finishing it, but now I've jumped way back.

Need smarter heads for this one. Despite getting a lot of experience with Waterlox over the past year, this top is getting the better of me.

Again, my goals are:
1.) Waterlox look to the wood (Amber, Chatoyance, etc.)
2.) Semi Gloss
3.) Smooth tactilly, as rubbed out surfaces are.
4.) Durable (It will be on a working drafting table).

As always, thanks in advance for all your advice.