Working with bamboo

I am planning on building a tiki bar for the back yard and was planning on using bamboo poles. Having never worked with bamboo, I was hoping I could get some feedback on my ideas. How difficult is bamboo to cut / notch... I was planning on using my multi-master for this to reduce splitting.

First, I was hoping I could use some 2" bamboo poles as edging around the bar top by cutting a 3/4" space down the length of the pole and slipping it over the edge of my 7' x 3' x 3/4" bar top. I would miter the corners so that it surrounds the top like a picture frame. How difficult would it be to make this cut down the length of a 2" pole.

Second, Use a 2" pole as corner edges of the bar base. A right angle cut would be made down the length of a pole so that the pole could sit on the corner. (The section from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock would be removed)

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated

thanks again
Ollie

[ Edited by: ollie2308 2011-05-23 10:30 ]

I am too lazy to hit search, but there is a wealth of info on working with bamboo throughout Tiki central - Have fun with your search, you will come across some great ideas!
That being said, my experience with bamboo is this; the finer blade on a saw will help cut down on splintering. ALSO, I wrap each cut with masking tape and cut through the tape. It has worked great for me!
As for splitting bamboo, my favorite tool is a Linoleum Knife. The thin , sharp blade splits bamboo easily!
I start the knife at one end, a push down the handle shide and the top of the blade (wear gloves). I often use a hammer to tap down the top of the blade side while my hand pushes down the handle side.

I've done a few projects with bamboo. Here's a book I've referred to for good info on cutting and splitting.

Building Bamboo Fences by Isao Yoshikawa