diff --git a/buffers/Makefile.in b/buffers/Makefile.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0498fce5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/Makefile.in
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# $Id: Makefile.in 1793 2011-10-12 21:55:13Z reker $
+
+srcdir = @srcdir@
+top_builddir =  @top_builddir@
+abs_top_builddir = @abs_top_builddir@
+top_srcdir = @top_srcdir@
+abs_top_srcdir = @abs_top_srcdir@
+subdir = buffers
+builddir = @builddir@
+
+CFLAGS = @CFLAGS@
+DEPFLAGS = @DEPFLAGS@
+LDFLAGS = @LDFLAGS@
+DEFS = @DEFS@
+OPTARGS = @OPTARGS@
+
+AR = ar
+RANLIB = @RANLIB@
+CC = @CC@
+CCDEP = @CCDEP@
+CCLD = $(CC)
+LINK = $(CCLD) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) ${OPTARGS} -o $@
+LEX = @LEX@
+AUTOCONF = @AUTOCONF@
+DEFS = @DEFS@
+
+INCLUDES = @INCLUDES@
+LDADD =
+COMPILE = ${CC} ${DEFS} ${INCLUDES} ${CFLAGS} ${OPTARGS}
+
+LIBRARIES = libbuffers
+
+libbuffers_TARGETS = gauge \
+			gauge_finalize_gauge_buffers \
+			gauge_get_gauge_field \
+			gauge_get_gauge_field_array \
+			gauge_initialize_gauge_buffers \
+			gauge_return_gauge_field \
+			gauge_return_gauge_field_array
+
+libbuffers_OBJECTS = $(addsuffix .o, ${libbuffers_TARGETS})
+
+# default rule
+
+all: Makefile dep libbuffers.a
+
+# rules for debugging
+debug all-debug: CFLAGS := $(CFLAGS) @DEBUG_FLAG@
+debug all-debug: all
+
+# rules for profiling information
+profile all-profile: CFLAGS := $(filter-out -fomit-frame-pointer,${CFLAGS}) @PROFILE_FLAG@
+profile all-profile: all
+
+
+#include dep rules
+
+
+-include $(addsuffix .d,${libbuffers_TARGETS})
+
+include ${top_srcdir}/Makefile.global
+
+# rule to compile objects
+
+%.o: ${srcdir}/%.c %.d Makefile ${abs_top_builddir}/config.h
+	$(COMPILE) -c $<
+
+
+# rule to make libbuffers
+libbuffers.a: ${libbuffers_OBJECTS} Makefile
+	@rm -f libbuffers.a
+	@${AR} cru libbuffers.a $(libbuffers_OBJECTS)
+	@$(RANLIB) libbuffers.a
+	@cp libbuffers.a ${top_builddir}/lib/libbuffers.a
+
+# rule to generate .d files
+
+$(addsuffix .d,$(libbuffers_TARGETS)): %.d: ${srcdir}/%.c Makefile
+	@$(CCDEP) ${DEPFLAGS} ${INCLUDES} $< > $@
+
+# rule to make dependencies
+
+dep: ${addsuffix .d, ${libbuffers_TARGETS}}
+
+# rules to clean
+
+compile-clean: Makefile
+	rm -f ${$(addsuffix _OBJECTS, ${LIBRARIES})} *.d
+
+clean: compile-clean
+	rm -f $(addsuffix .a, ${LIBRARIES})
+	rm -f ../lib/libbuffers.a
+
+distclean: clean
+	rm -f Makefile
+
+
+.PHONY: all dep clean compile-clean distclean debug all-debug profile all-profile
diff --git a/buffers/gauge.c b/buffers/gauge.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f7d2e24fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge.c
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+gauge_buffers_t g_gauge_buffers;
diff --git a/buffers/gauge.h b/buffers/gauge.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..36dd876aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge.h
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "su3.h"
+
+typedef su3 su3_tuple[4];
+
+typedef struct
+{
+  su3_tuple **reserve;
+  unsigned int max;
+  unsigned int allocated;
+  int stack;
+} gauge_buffers_t;
+
+typedef struct
+{
+  su3_tuple *field;
+} gauge_field_t;
+
+typedef struct
+{
+  su3_tuple **field_array;
+  unsigned int length;
+} gauge_field_array_t;
+
+extern gauge_buffers_t g_gauge_buffers;
+
+void initialize_gauge_buffers(unsigned int max);
+
+gauge_field_t get_gauge_field();
+void return_gauge_field(gauge_field_t *gauge_field);
+
+gauge_field_array_t get_gauge_field_array(unsigned int length);
+void return_gauge_field_array(gauge_field_array_t *gauge_field_array);
+
+void finalize_gauge_buffers();
diff --git a/buffers/gauge.ih b/buffers/gauge.ih
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..683f41cd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge.ih
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+#include <global.h>
+#include <buffers/gauge.h>
+
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_finalize_gauge_buffers.c b/buffers/gauge_finalize_gauge_buffers.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78cb7082f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_finalize_gauge_buffers.c
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+void finalize_gauge_buffers()
+{
+  if (g_gauge_buffers.stack != g_gauge_buffers.allocated - 1)
+    fprintf(stderr, "WARNING: g_gauge_buffers finalized with unreturned fields!"); /* Make error? */
+  for (unsigned int ctr = 0; ctr < (g_gauge_buffers.stack); ++ctr)
+  {
+    /* We need to retrieve the unaligned pointers, stored _before_ the actual fields. */
+    void* ptr = ((void**)g_gauge_buffers.reserve[ctr])[-1];
+    free(ptr);
+  }
+  free(g_gauge_buffers.reserve);
+}
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field.c b/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e855dd40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field.c
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+/* This routine not only malloc's a field, but immediately aligns it.
+   To keep track of the original address to free the field eventually,
+   we store that address _before_ the actual buffer.
+   The end user should never have to see the alignment after this. */
+
+gauge_field_t get_gauge_field()
+{
+  void *raw = NULL;
+  size_t p = 0;
+  gauge_field_t gauge_field;
+
+  if (g_gauge_buffers.stack < 0) /* Need to allocate a new buffer */
+  {
+    if (g_gauge_buffers.allocated == g_gauge_buffers.max)
+    {
+#ifdef MPI
+      MPI_Finalize(); /* Hard to handle gracefully here, can improve later... */
+#endif
+      exit(1);
+    }
+    ++g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+    raw = malloc(sizeof(void*) + ALIGN_BASE + sizeof(su3_tuple) * VOLUMEPLUSRAND + 1);
+    p = (size_t)raw + sizeof(void*);
+    p = ((p + ALIGN_BASE) & ~ALIGN_BASE);
+    ((void**)p)[-1] = raw;
+    g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = (su3_tuple*)p;
+    ++g_gauge_buffers.allocated;
+  }
+
+  gauge_field.field = g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack];
+  g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = NULL;
+  --g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+
+  return gauge_field;
+}
+
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field_array.c b/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field_array.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8c1752e98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_get_gauge_field_array.c
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+gauge_field_array_t get_gauge_field_array(unsigned int length)
+{
+  gauge_field_array_t gauge_field_array;
+  gauge_field_array.length = length;
+  gauge_field_array.field_array = (su3_tuple**)calloc(length, sizeof(su3_tuple*));
+
+  if (g_gauge_buffers.stack < (length - 1)) /* Need to allocate more buffers */
+  {
+    if (g_gauge_buffers.allocated >= (g_gauge_buffers.max - length))
+    {
+#ifdef MPI
+      MPI_Finalize();
+#endif
+      exit(1); /* Hard to handle gracefully here, can improve later... */
+    }
+    for (unsigned int ctr = 0; ctr < length; ++ctr)
+    {
+      ++g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+      g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = (su3_tuple*)malloc(sizeof(su3_tuple) * VOLUMEPLUSRAND + 1);
+    }
+    g_gauge_buffers.allocated += length;
+  }
+
+  for (unsigned int ctr = 0; ctr < length; ++ctr)
+  {
+    gauge_field_array.field_array[ctr] = g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack];
+    g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = NULL;
+    --g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+  }
+  return gauge_field_array;
+}
+
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_initialize_gauge_buffers.c b/buffers/gauge_initialize_gauge_buffers.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f242b15de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_initialize_gauge_buffers.c
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+void initialize_gauge_buffers(unsigned int max)
+{
+  g_gauge_buffers.max = max;
+  g_gauge_buffers.allocated = 0;
+  g_gauge_buffers.stack = -1;
+  g_gauge_buffers.reserve = (su3_tuple**)calloc(max, sizeof(su3_tuple*));
+}
+
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field.c b/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce7825aaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field.c
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+void return_gauge_field(gauge_field_t *gauge_field)
+{
+  ++g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+  g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = gauge_field->field;
+  gauge_field->field = NULL;
+}
+
diff --git a/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field_array.c b/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field_array.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e7b9e17fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buffers/gauge_return_gauge_field_array.c
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#include "gauge.ih"
+
+void return_gauge_field_array(gauge_field_array_t *gauge_field_array)
+{
+  for (unsigned int ctr = 0; ctr < gauge_field_array->length; ++ctr)
+  {
+    ++g_gauge_buffers.stack;
+    g_gauge_buffers.reserve[g_gauge_buffers.stack] = gauge_field_array->field_array[ctr];
+    gauge_field_array->field_array[ctr] = NULL;
+  }
+}