Tenor guitar bridge - pinned vs metal tailpice

[Taylor and Tenor]

I picked up a Harmony flat top tenor guitar recently that needs a new bridge. I bought it with the bridge cracked and in pieces. As apposed to making and installing a new pinned bridge, I was contemplating adding a mandolin type of tailpiece to the lower bout and making a flat floating guitar shape bridge. Thus avoiding dealing with pins placement and buying a pin reamer.

I know archtop Harmony guitars had tailpieces and adjustable mandolin style bridges. My question is this - since the flat top guitar body was designed for an upwards pull of the strings through the pin holes, do you think the top will take the downward load of a floating bridge without the arched top for added strength????? Will the top take the opposite load??? Some European made tenors use a cast bronze or brass tailpiece with a movable bridge but their top may be designed differently.

My other alternative is to make a pinless bridge similar to an Ovation or some Breedloves.

[Taylor and Tenor]

I answered my own question by re-doing a classical guitar to a four steel string with a mandolin tailpiece a moveable brdige. It works just fine.

BTW, Fletcher tenor guitars are made this way.