awac

What modifications have you done that has improved (in your opinion) your truing stand, or made it fun?

To kick off here is my modification done today on my Park tool TS-4. A base made of two layers of 3/4 plywood. It has “clamp ears” so I can move outside when the weather is good. When you have marked the base out, just slide the stand to either side and use the side to draw the curve on the sides. The calliper arm adjuster knob at the front now does not touch the surface the stand sits on (that always annoyed me!). It now weighs a bit more and that adds to the already solid feel of the stand, it now does not move and I like the the pockets at the front to be clear off the surface. Plywood can be slippy on varnished wood so I put a grippy sheet underneath, don’t ask what it came in some packing! I might paint it, or just use it as is, I seem to have too many projects waiting in line, you know how it is!


Clothes pegs are very handy if you have to stop and don’t want to loose the spoke your on!

FBinNY 

Eons ago, I mounted my truing stand (not Park) to a "sink hole" sourced from a local cabinetry. I added 4 feet in the form of brake shoes.

Now it's completely stable and portable.

Andrew R Stewart 

I have two pics of modded truing stands.

The first is what I suspect most here will drool over, to some degree. A TS-2 with home made dial indicator mounts.

I do like the TE-2's solidness but just like back 40+ years ago when i first tried dial indicators I still find them too distracting, jumping about enough to make the macro hard to see it's center. Just the same visitors seem impressed

Next up is my VAR #485 Preciray. A legend of the 1970s, to speak of.

I got this stand as vacation pay way long ago. What i like is the rock solid wheel/axle clamping ability and the rim followers multiplying the amount of deviation. Note the different radial roller follower which is the mod. The white lateral roller follower is OEM. At some time the radial one became "broken", I just used its stub held in place by that home made C clamp (off to the upper LH in the shot, this was one of my first school shop projects back in 1972 or so) until I came across available roller followers. Note the extra holes for the radial lever pivot, spring and limit mounts. This shift to the right increased the "wiggle" of the pointer from the OEM amount.

One of the big aspects of a truing stand for me is its solid/stability and repeatability. The Park TS-4 series is way bad in this. The axle retention is poor and the really long rim indicator "fingers" are equally flexible. I know this is the cost of tubeless and wide rims/wheels/tires. too bad because a solid stand is a pleasure to work with. Andy

drlogik 

I bolted my old Park stand to a 16"x20"x3/4" marine plywood board. It's heavy enough to not require clamping to the work bench and portable enough to slide up on a shelf when not being used.

79pmooney

I have a cheap stand made from tubing and flatbar and a dishing tool of the same ftatbar. Both serve me just fine but the dishing tool had a tube that fitted over the axle so I had to remove the nut or QR every time I checked and put it back on for a secure stand mount. So I made a sideways "U" from two pieces of aluminum angle. Now I just slide the wheel in so the "U" flange fits between nut and locknut. So nice I wish I'd made it years ago.

Sorry, I am still digital photo ignorant and hope to stay that way.

awac

How do you find accuracy of the preciray/park tool compared to each other? I understand the pointers are x10 magnification, what does that equate to on your dials? Do you use the preciray to get a “working wheel” and then dial in closer, or is the accuracy the same?

I am going to France this summer……I will be scouring French websites before I go….just missed one on ebay in the UK, dammit!

Andrew R Stewart 

I don't consider a truing stand to have anything to do with accuracy or precision (as I think is the better term for your question). These are the duty of the person turning the spoke wrench. A stand only holds the wheel in a manor that can make the wrench's job easier. Like any stand the VAR is a stupid assembly of metal parts that wasn't made for exacting measurements. It does have a few adjustments for getting the dishing aspect quite close to being "spot on", still I would not rely only this, or any other stand, for dishing if at all possible (that's why dishing tools are made). I often will hold the indicator/pointer still and observe the rim/roller gap and not rely on the swing action of that indicator/pointer at all. How much deviation from the scribed line (red for lateral and a scratched one that didn't show well in the pic for radial) compares to what a dial indicator might show is not something i care about. What is nice for a beginner is the indicator/pointer will swing to the same side that spokes would need tightening to bring the rim and pointer in line (for the lateral work). This is easier to remember for a newbie that the "looking in a mirror" aspect of which way to turn what spoke. Once the wrench gets comfy with truing this aspect is a needless one.

Having said that, I would not suggest a Preciray for anyone getting into wheel work these days. It won't handle modern axle designs and specs well and can't be used with a tire mounted. If all one was to work on are "classic" nutted and QR hubs of common widths than it is great. But to limit oneself so much WRT future spec drifts in not a good choice IMO. I do suggest a TS-2 (and only a TS-4 if really wide tubeless tires are in play). Save your $ and get both a TS-2 and dishing tool. Andy

CliffordK

I think you came up with a similar solution, but slightly different implementation on the VARS truing stand to what I did.

Stock Stand:


Modified Stand:


Most of the rims I true are narrow rims. But, in theory I could make this adjustable.

The bar on the right is for side to side wobble. It doesn't significantly impact the accuracy of that indicator as it pushes straight right & left.

However, What it does is push the wheel all the way to the left. So the bar connecting to the radial true/hop indicator is extremely short. That maximizes the sensitivity of that indicator.

And I still have everything in the original spot, so spot on with the reference lines on the gauge.

It gives the gauge extreme sensitivity, and I can view oscillation between a tight spoke, and the area between the spokes.

79pmooney

This nicely sums up why I'm in no rush to get a fancy stand. My shop does everything, not just bikes. I am often moving everything around so I can build this or temporarily store that. My big workbench has two semi-permanent items bolted to it. A drill press and a vise. No way is anything else going on other than fastened with clamps. Bike bench is just a mechanic's drawers with a table top and back I made. My current el cheapo stand folds up to almost nothing and can either be stashed in a box or drawer or hung from a nail. I prefer building wheels in my dining room. Good light, comfortable chair, music. Shirt sleeves comfortable. (I have to dress for the unheated garage.)

Now, if I want to take a quick look at a wheel, the stand is just steps away from the workbench. To grab, unfold and set on the bench takes seconds.

Yes, a better made stand where things stayed put when I removed and replaced the wheel would be nice. A stand where the axle sits more reliably in one place every time. But if that meant heavier or harder to fold, it would be a barely at most overall improvement to my life. And fun! That el cheapo stand has built a lot of really good wheels. Early on a set of GP4s laced to Sanshin Pro-Am hubs with bladed Wheelsmiths. Rear rim collapsed at 17,000 miles of Pacific NW riding. (That "Pacific NW" was the culprit. No sidewalls left. I could have read newsprint though them.) In that 17,000 miles I might have touched each wheel with a spoke wrench twice.

tiger1964 

Not having seen them before but it always seemed logical to me that a truing stand, if it has dial indicators, they should have roller tips. Did you make those? A truing stand is one tool I do not have yet but is on my list... dial indicators would, I presume, be a great help (and show me how far off my "by eye" touch-ups while still on the bike are ).

Andrew R Stewart 

Dial indicators will have a significant amount of dial needle jump, with or without roller tips. But like the VAR's pointer that of the dial is an easy feedback device to learn with. Perhaps continue with. I have found some people like that visual feedback, others can work with the audio of a simple finger (of the stand) against the rim. Few initially look for the gap between that finger and the rim. I like to have some back light so better see this gap.

This Park stand is at least third one I have dealt with that had dial indicators. Each time I think they would be a nice addition and after a bit of use I discount their presence and find "watching the gap" to be what I do. But this is like so many other tool preferences. The best way to figure what you like is to try different ones. Andy

awac

Personally I use the calliper arms to get close, and the noise of the rim touching them. The white patch on the calliper arm is helpful to see the gaps. Once I am close I put the dial indicators on and I find them a great aid, especially for even spoke tension, it allows you to watch the rim move, keeping an eye on both lateral and radial at the same time.

It all depends what you are after, I like the challenge of getting as close as I can (we are all on the spectrum, just depends whereabouts….lol), again and again….I build wheels for fun and friends, when I retire it will be for friends of friends as well!

Build a wheel to do a job, that’s cool, but I have to satisfy something in me while I do it. You choose why you do it.

Garthr

Hey, that's a nice mod awac ! Bravo.

I agree, we all have our reasons for what we do. No explaining necessary or even possible.

I bought a Unior 1689 recently to start building again after letting someone else do it the last 25 years. I really like it, it's relaxing, calming, it's like art .... painting a portrait as the wheel itself. The 1689 stands stable on it's own, that's why I chose it. It's "good enough" for what I do.

CliffordK

It looks like all my old images have come back!!!

Here is my nephew working on truing a wheel using the stand that my father made many years ago.



For one reason or another, the stand wasn't designed to be adjustable for wheel width. But, it has enough flex that one can jam front or rear wheels in.

A pen will work as a reference point. Although at one time I found that old BIC razors made the best tone when the wheel hit the reference.

Unfortunately it is very difficult to adjust axial and radial at the same time, so radial accuracy tended to suffer some.

awac

I like Unior tools, their stand was always on my radar. Good to hear a recommendation for it.

Perhaps any others on here can give their opinion on stands they have bought, or made from plans, either their own or bought.

My Park Tool came along at the right price from someone who had an idea to wheel build during covid, then when they could get out again decided that staring at a revolving wheel was not a fun thing to do (I don’t understand them…). I am very happy with it, it also came with the centring gauge, which in my opinion should be included in the price of a new one. An accurate stand gets more new sales for the company. Mind you, what do I know, they are making more money than me! Lol.

I always check my work with a dishing tool, but I am always very, very close using the callipers. It feels like it will last my lifetime. Just as important is that I like the tool! A tool that I like becomes a pleasure to work with, and work becomes leisure.

capnjonny 

my addition to my home built ( a gift to me) truing stand has been to add a light that shines up between the wheel and the adjustable reference blade so that the gap is easy to see. Without it the shadows make observing the wheel runout very dificult.

awac

I have been thinking of that, the eye sight is not as good as it once was, come to think of it, nothing is as good as it once was! Lol. I have a flexi-stand light that I direct but it never seems to be in the perfect place! I might have to make the effort now you have suggested it! So much to do, so little time!

Dan Burkhart 

I occasionally build electric hub motor wheels. The 12 mm axles with 10mm axle flats have a very annoying habit of trying to climb out of the V slots making the truing process a pain.
My fix was to modify a set of old style adapters that were designed to accommodate 29er wheels with tires in a TS2.
I cut slots to accommodate the 10mm flats and now I can spin the wheel both ways and the axle stays firmly seated.

awac

Nice modification!