I decided to build a gondola from Don Winter.  When the kit arrived, I was really impressed by the quality of the parts and the laser cut wood.

I started by laminating the vertical bracing and then placing it into the mahogany frame pieces.

After the framing had dried, I put in the “door” boards. When complete, this will appear as the twelve sets of doors that would drop down in real life. This model is non-operational, however, which, to me, is a real plus.  It makes it more durable outside, and much easier to build.

The sides are made from nice thick mahogany strips.  I’ve decided to not paint the inside, but will just use “Weather-It” to make it look, well, weathered!

Below you can see the almost completed inside - no metal castings yet. But, you can see the weathered inside.

There are a number of brass parts that come with the kit.  I really like using brass for the grab irons, as it is a lot stronger than the white metal castings.  Don provides some brass pins to fasten these to the sides, so there is a nice strong mechanical connection.  I used “Blacken-It” to darken the pieces before I put them in place.

Most of the castings are in place. The hardest part was drilling the bearing supports - it would be very nice to have a drill press to make it easier to put that brass rod in place. I attached the chain to the rod using some brown thread, then glued it in place and turned the rod to wrap the chain around it.