trouble with getting that perfect finish

[elfin ore]

So I've been in a fine furniture program since mid august and i have done 3 year prior or woodwork on highschool but I can never seem to get that perfect finish even after treating my peices like glass putting them on padded surfaces sanding meticulously and steaming dents there are always small scratch or nicks that just happen and of course are iriperable. What am I doing wrong because I see how my peirs work looks and i just lack something and my brain is not seing it. This also applies to tedious hand work.

[agile kelp]

This kind of seems like something you should ask in class where the instructor can see the difference between your work and your peers’.

[elfin oar]

This sounds curious. Do the dents seem to show up at a specific stage?