There are a lot of good truing stands out there, old, used, & new... In my case, about a decade ago I snagged a used TS-6 from a fellow who upgraded to a TS-2; I paid, like- $30 for it.

It isn't self-centering (it does require the use of a centering gauge), but it's heavy & definitely gets the job done. (The image below, courtesy of VeloBase.)

In the end though, I think it just comes down to skill & practice: the more wheels you build, the better you get at it.