On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 21:06:17 -0500, nospamgoingjag wrote:

I am considering building a large garage/pole barn using metal.
I am very concerned with lightening strikes due to where I live.

A metal building is probably the best thing to be in, actually. It
forms what is known as a "faraday cage", and allows the lightning to
find a clear path to ground that doesn't involve going through you.
Ground it well, and you should be fine.

I've searched around the net and can't seem to find any real input on
this. Someone told me that if I properly bond the building, I'll be
all set. Well this makes sense except it makes me wonder if a 30x60
chunk of metal is going to be so attractive that it will invite the
lightening and I'll end up with strikes on my wooden buildings?

No, it'll attract the lightning to itself. You want it to be the most
attractive to the lightning, so ground it well and give the lightning
some nice exciting pointy spikes to go for (serious).

Snodgrass lighning rods used to have a very informative site,
maybe they're a place you could look.

Dave Hinz