Well this is actually two questions.  Our staff rebuilds components based on existing geometry.  We like to stay within +/- 3mm.  To that end I am having a hard time creating my primatives using the auto grid.  The expectation is that the grid will build the primative based on the perpendicular of a normal I have a cursor over. So far I have had to created the primative and adjust it using the move and rotate tool.  I am sure I am missing by a couple of button clicks.  The second screen grab illustrates the issues I’m having.

The second question is how to move or reset the local origin (axis?) of a primative.  As I am creating new geomery the local axis of the primative is off center from the primative.  I looked in different post concrening moving the pivot point of the primative under the Hiearchy but that did not move where the primative is moved, rotated, scaled.  I have not seen this addressed in the modeling tutorials.  The first screen grab illustates the results I am getting.  Thanks in advance for any insight.

One more quick one.  How do you embed the images into actual posts?  I don’t see a buttion for that one.  I am sure it is some easy code that I don’t know either.  Thanks again.

Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 (Release 11.0 Commercial)
Windows XP Professional 5.1 (Service Pack 3)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200
NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI X2
Dirver: Direct 3D 9.0 (NVidia GeForce 8500 GT)
2048MB Ram

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Last one first - you seem to have worked that one out ;-)
Just use the “Browse” button and navigate to your local copy of the image.

First one next - it looks, from the image, as though the main object is smoothed - has smoothing groups applied. Smoothing works by altering the normals so that there are no hard edges between the polys in that group. Net result - the normals aren’t pointing where you think they are.
Solution:- select all the polys and click “Clear All” (on the Surface Properties rollout) before using AutoGrid to create new objects.

Second one last. Not quite sure how you got it there in the first place. The Pivot Point should always be created at the base (for a Cylinder) with Local Z pointing “up” the Cylinder. If you turn on “Affect Pivot Only”, move the pivot elsewhere, then turn it off, the Pivot and the Object are locked together again - bear in mind that when you move an object you are actually moving its pivot point - the object just follows along for the ride.

One quick point.
Never use the Scale tool on an Object, always use it at a SubObject level. Reason being that the Scale is a Transform like Move and Rotate. A 100 unit (radius) sphere scaled 200% (double) still has a radius of 100. Oops.
There are many threads here where Scaled objects have caused all kinds of problems - best not to do it.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

Your suggestions worked like a charm.  Thanks.

Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 (Release 11.0 Commercial)
Windows XP Professional 5.1 (Service Pack 3)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200
NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI X2
Dirver: Direct 3D 9.0 (NVidia GeForce 8500 GT)
2048MB Ram