I picked up a truing stand on Ebay for $200 used, it is a high end unit which will be around forever. It gives incredibly percise measurements for dish, offset, and state of true. In the end there's no replacement for experience, grab an old crappy, rusty wheel and pull it apart and put it back together, then throw it out; you'll be experienced. Maybe you'll even pay the $160 to the local shop.
The most recent Horse Backstreet Chopper mag. has a great article w/ photos by Brew Dude on lacing wheels - Get the mag. you won't be sorry. Good luck!
