An extruder having an extruder crosshead, a die, and a die retaining assembly. The extruder crosshead has an annular major surface while the die has a first die surface facing and conformal to that major surface. The die also has a second die surface opposed to the first die surface. The die-retaining assembly is attached to the extruder crosshead, evenly and variably pressing the second die surface with controlled pressure such that the substantially opposing first die surface is pressed into the major surface of the extruder crosshead. The die-retaining also includes movable elements which abut the die in order to move the die. The die-retaining assembly can be used to evenly reduce the pressure exerted by over the second die surface so that the position adjustment elements can be used to more easily adjust the position of the die.