Azax beam drill

[Acharya Kumarswami]

Does anyone have experience with an Ajax beam drill, used for drilling large and deep holes in beams?
I purchased one and it seems to be in good shape, but the chuck is puzzling me a bit. There are two screws that hold the bit in, and also two half sleeves that should apparently move in to clamp the shaft to center it, but I'm not sure.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Can you post pictures? I imagine someone here has seen one before.

[Chris Vandiver]

Acharya,

You might do well to pose this question with the Timberframers Guild.

http://www.tfguild.org/

[Andrae Covington]

Does anyone have experience with an Ajax beam drill, used for drilling large and deep holes in beams?
I purchased one and it seems to be in good shape, but the chuck is puzzling me a bit. There are two screws that hold the bit in, and also two half sleeves that should apparently move in to clamp the shaft to center it, but I'm not sure.

I have a beam drill packed away in a box, so not readily accessible. I don't know a lot about them, but I do know that the bits made specifically for beam drills / boring machines have fairly large diameter (1/2" ?) cylindrical shafts. Some beam drills could also hold tapered-square-shaft auger bits made for brace drills. So what you're describing as two half sleeves might be to secure those bits.