Truing Stands: Buy or Build?

[roosteater]

On the subject of truing stands, can one find nice truing stands at a decent price? If so, where's the best place to buy one?

Alternatively, what about building one? Anyone have any plans or ideas? I've got some very simplistic ideas running around in my head about building one, but thought I'd open the issue up here.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[jmics19067]

wheel or crank? for the wheel I just use the bike and a grease pencil/china marker gently clamped to the swingarm or fork tube. Adequate enough for my purposes but I doubt I will ever become a professional wheel builder.

I have made a crank truing stand but it is only accurate to +/- .001 or atleast that was always the difference when i had a machine shop double check my alignment. Again only adequate for my purposes

 

[roosteater]

Sorry. Should have clarified that. Wheel truing stand. I don't want to do it on the bike, so I think I want to build a stand (unless I can find one dirt cheap).

 

[jmics19067]

wouldn't think it would be too hard to make. Two pieces of channel longer than half your wheel with holes drilled on one end to accept your axle welded straight up from a heavy plate for a base. Use your stock wheel spacers against bearings and a handfull of washers so you can snug them up in between the channels. would make for a cheap quick way to mount your magneteic dial indicators. might not be pretty but could be made in under an hour.