I have been looking hard for a forge and unable to find one in my neck of the woods, is there any simple homemade plans to build your own?  any help would be great.

do you have a welder? Charcoal or gas?

I have a welder, I would like a coal forge.

I really like the one from Don Fogg's site.  Easy to build and works great.  He's not too far from you and there are plenty of bladesmithing classes over in Auburn, ME.

http://www.dfoggknives.com/forge.htm

http://www.newenglandschoolofmetalwork.com/bladesmithing/index.php?page=home

look up the brake drum forge. I used that idea to make mine.

I would second the brake drum forge.  It will work great for small and medium size knives.  Plus it is pretty darn cheap to make one.

Be warned it gets hotter than you realize. I melted the tang and blade off of several knives when I got started.