I realize that there are quite a few threads on here dealing with cracked tops, but I was having trouble finding one that matched what I am dealing with...my apologies if this is redundant.
This is my main mandolin, and one that is near and dear to me since it was the first one I built. This crack showed up this past summer, and has slowly crept up to the bottom of the bridge. I have fixed cracks on it before around the bass side f-hole, but that was a pretty easy fix done with water thin super glue. I am afraid this one won't be that easy. As you can see in the attached pics, there is not only a hairline gap in the crack, but one side has bowed up, so it needs to be clamped somehow. My guess is (given the location) that the tension of the strings caused the top to bow up on the treble side of the crack. At any rate, you can see in the pictures how one side of the top is sticking out and revealing the inside edge of the crack.
Id like to nip this in the but before it gets worse. I am plenty confident in my ability to do so, I am just trying to get a feel for how best to go about it. Can i glue in a cleat? Do I need a special clamp? It does not need to be pretty, just needs to work. If I have to remove the top, then so be it!
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