I tried a couple, the bamboo did in fact crush the walnut, usually right away. I had one last for about 100 shots, but then it fretted too.
The curvature of the bamboo limits how wide you can make the bow. The wider you make it, the higher the crown on the back. The higher the crown on the back, the greater the compression forces on the belly. IMO, you'd have a better chance with a thin wood backing strip... which would be flat and avoid the issues associated with the bamboo.