I found a photo of one of these all ready to work.  It was sold on eBay in 2009.  Don't know the price it fetched.
I also found a contemporary drawing of a different  bench top forge that's interesting.  I wonder if the one in
the photo originally had a heat shield for the drive gear.

Bench top, I'll buy that, but why?  The heat, have to cover the bench with tin, and have to have a low enough bench so the fire wouldn't be in your face.   I am wondering, maybe aboard ship?   There was a smith aboard the whaler going after the White Whale.    Put it on the floor but below decks,   bolt it down, just a thought. 

Quote from: john k on February 27, 2013, 09:52:00 PM
Bench top, I'll buy that, but why?  The heat, have to cover the bench with tin, and have to have a low enough bench so the fire wouldn't be in your face.   I am wondering, maybe aboard ship?   There was a smith aboard the whaler going after the White Whale.    Put it on the floor but below decks,   bolt it down, just a thought.

These seem more like riveting forges to me.  I'd think they were too small for ship board use -- what little I've seen of ship board forges were a lot bigger.   More likely for farm use, seems to me.  The feet have holes for attaching them to something, maybe just a stand rather than a bench per se. 
Maybe somebody will find an old advertisement that gives enough information.

Look at this page for a little bit of information out of an old Champion Blower and Forge Co. catalog.

http://www.anvilfire.com/bookrev/champ_CD_index.htm

About halfway down the page.

Hope this helps

Bill D.

Now that's interesting --  "Government or Miners and Prospectors Forge."  I might have to make one of these boxes for mine.

I wonder how old the idea is.  The 1841 mountain howitzer forge collapsed and packed into its box, and sat on top of one of the sides when in use.