Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart

Second if you hold the axle in a vice by the other end (on the lock nut if possible, the industry has made tools that clamp onto the actual axle too) and keep the wheel from turning with your body (lean against it) you can perform very minute cone/bearing adjustments easily. This is slow though as you have to take the axle out of the vice to spin it. I find that I still do the counter tightening/loosening thing after anyway.