I'm a total newbie, but here goes. I want to build and repair drums. My biggest challenge is getting trued bearing edges, which are the rims of the cylinders on which the heads sit. Their quality greatly affects the sustain and clarity of the drum's tone. I have some Gretsch drums which are otherwise in decent shape, but the edges are quite wavy.
Looking around, industrial reference tables would be overkill, as I don't need anything that precise; I mean we're talking drums, not musical instruments! Some people recommend a sheet of glass as an inexpensive reference table. This would be plenty flat for me I'm sure, but my intended approach would be to shine a light from the inside of the drum shell to reveal the irregularities. I don't think a glass table would work well for this.
My 24" square requirement would allow me to set the entire shell of a 24" diameter drum on a flat surface.
I welcome any ideas. Thanks,
Bill