Oliver has made himself a amazing forge and bellows setup that he calls the ground forge. It is specifically for bladesmithing. And it is quite amazing. Here he tells us about it.

And he also has another forge he calls the medieval forge. You can check that out right here (It has a bellows): Oliver's medieval Forge

And if you are interested in bladesmithing he has made some excellent hand tools for it. Check them out right here.

This is the forge that I am currently using to make my tools. The positioning and lack of space in my new location dictated that I construct a �ground forge'.

It is made up of a hand operated box bellows and a hearth connected by a pipe just to the right of the bellows so that everything is up close as I operate the bellows with one hand and tend the work piece and fire in the hearth with the other hand.

The box bellows is a 3 foot long rectangular box constructed from MDF panels bought at my local timber and hardware store. There is a piston inside the box that is moved back and forth to operate a near constant stream of air to the forge fire, and the fire can be easily controlled by the rate of pumping. 

The hearth component has a long steel pipe full of holes drilled down it between two rows of bricks for a narrow and concentrated heating area. Most of the holes are plugged up for the majority of the operations, the fire concentrated in one spot to heat small sections of the work. If I am hardening a long blade I unplug more of the holes to cover the length of the blade needed. 

An old mat just to the front of the hearth makes it a little more comfortable when sitting down on the floor and moving between the forge and the anvil. Both doors of the shed are fully opened for good ventilation. The fuel is hardwood lump charcoal, which burns cleanly once the fire is going. 
Of course, the bellows and hearth can be elevated on a suitable table top to work standing up if that is preferred and you have the room to do so. I have found this design to be efficient and fun to use. Having used both the great bellows and box bellows I would say both are on equal terms when it comes to air output and ease of use with a charcoal fire.

Some basic tools for bladesmithing - Oliver is a bladesmith and a regular contributor to this website. If you are interested in bladesmithing you might want to check out his basic tools for bladesmithing! He shows us the tools and explains how they are used.