To repeat my home shop method. I don't use a tilt, wood, vice, or any other added on base. I just tilt the stand toward me and it sits, tripod like, on the edge of the metal base and the black plastic nob that controls the pincer arm's angle (or the diameter of the rim). At work we have the metal base simply bolted to the work bench. I have used a tilt base and found it nice to position the wheel at a height that works for the stool I sat on. I've also used a bench vice to clamp the stand in as well as a simple sheet of ply wood to bolt the base to.

As far as a dial goes- Not for me. I've used them many times (the first was back in the late 1970s). But never found that one added any ability or improvement to truing the wheel. I have gotten one side of a rim trued within 10-20 thousandths, then checked the true after a test ride and can say with numbers that the wheel got worse. But if seeing a number helps you out fine, get a dial.

As an aside I also have a Var Preciray stand. Much nicer to balance a bottle of beer on the rt upright top during work. It's run out indicators work off a roller running on the rim side and the rim outer edge and increase the deviation by a factor of 3 or 4. I always found this easier to use then a dial needle jittering around. But again totally unneeded to see what's going on. Andy.