A chuck for use with spools comprises a shaft and at least one inner wedge-shaped member mounted to one end of the shaft for axial movement and biased away from the shaft. A gripper comprises at least two outer members slidably mounted on the inner members to effect movement radially outwardly to thereby grip the inside of the spool. A first stop is connected to the gripper and engageable with the outer edge of the spool to limit the movement thereof with respect to the outer members and movable with respect to the inner member and a second stop is connected to the shaft for engaging with the outer members to limit their axial movement against the force of the bias.