How can I apply a smooth coat of dewaxed shellac without a sprayer?

Whether I use a brush, sponge, or rag, I always end up with tiny raised beads of shellac at the borders of my previous brush stroke. This mostly happens between dips into the can. Trying to fade them down with brush strokes makes it worse.

What am I doing wrong and how can I avoid this?

It's difficult to sand when it dries and in all my sanding attempts I still end up reducing the beads to smooth but visible rough lines. I can cover with another coat but then I am back to square one.

It's obvious that it shouldn't be overbrushed, it even says that on the can. It tacks up so quickly that I have problems just keeping it smooth across brush strokes. I have tried thin coats, thick coats, fading the brush strokes, slopping it on and hoping it levels, waiting a bit and trying to buff it, quick second coat while still wet, all with poor results. I even tried just dumping it out of the can and quickly spreading it around (which sort of solved the problem but made some messy new problems...).

I have a good bit of experience with paint and everything in my bag of tricks is failing me.

The effect is much less pronounced for the first coat on a soft unfinished material, because it soaks in quickly, esp. things like poplar and MDF. But for the most part it always happens no matter where the coat is.