A jaw chuck provided with an inner sleevelike housing which, at its forward end, is provided with radially extending T-shaped slots which slidably accommodate the jaw carriers. The inner housing is totally surrounded and fixedly connected to an outer sleevelike housing which overlaps the outer ends of the slots. A push-type activator is disposed adjacent the rearward end of the inner housing and is axially slidable relative thereto. This activator includes wedges which project axially forwardly and are slidably and wedgably engaged with the jaw carriers for effecting radial displacement thereof. The wedges have the outer peripheries thereof axially slidably supported on the inner periphery of the outer housing.