Fixturing a head spindle assembly with a retracting collet

An apparatus and associated method is provided for precisely positioning a datum surface of a component. The apparatus has a housing defining a tooling datum surface. A collet is supported by the housing, and is thereby selectively operable between an expanded mode and a retracted mode. In the expanded mode, a clearing disengagement is defined with the component. In the retracted mode, a contacting engagement is defined with the component as well as a simultaneous longitudinal force that is transferred by the contacting engagement to the component capable of pressingly engaging the datum surfaces together. The apparatus further has a bias member urging the collet to the retracted mode.