Quote Originally Posted by Bryan View Post
Holding the chuck is not usually the problem; it's holding the spindle.
My spindle is inside the headstock. A bit hard to hang on to lol. I usually put it in a low gear but then I have an old solid lathe. The newer lighter ones may not handle that. An expanding collet with a right angled handle may solve this problem. This will fit into the outer end of the spindle and should be simple to make.

Dean