Drilling through steel or pipe would have been tough regardless, especially on something you couldn't cart over to the post drill. The chain drive attachments I have, feature several different feed features. Some like this, where you manually advance the bit into the work piece. Some that feed in with a second screwthread, and even one Goodell Pratt that has a lever that advances it every turn. Where this really shined was in drilling when up a pole, on a ladder, drilling a barn beam. One cannot push, when on a ladder, but the attachment will feed it in, all you have to do is turn the brace. Some take a standard bit, some take the old post drill bits with a flat on one side, and some take tapered square shank bits.