diff --git a/include/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.h b/include/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..69bca655
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.h
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/**********************************************************************/
+/*                     DO NOT MODIFY THIS HEADER                      */
+/* MAGPIE - Mesoscale Atomistic Glue Program for Integrated Execution */
+/*                                                                    */
+/*            Copyright 2017 Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC            */
+/*                        ALL RIGHTS RESERVED                         */
+/**********************************************************************/
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "GeneralUserObject.h"
+
+template <typename T>
+class FFTBufferBase;
+
+/**
+ *
+ */
+template <typename T>
+class FFTBufferBase : public GeneralUserObject
+{
+public:
+  FFTBufferBase(const InputParameters & parameters);
+
+  virtual void initialize() {}
+  virtual void execute() {}
+  virtual void finalize() {}
+
+  // transforms
+  virtual void forward() = 0;
+  virtual void backward() = 0;
+
+  // data access
+  const T & operator[](std::size_t i) const { return _buffer[i]; }
+  T & operator[](std::size_t i) { return _buffer[i]; }
+
+  // size buffer
+  void resize();
+  void resize(std::size_t ni);
+  void resize(std::size_t ni, std::size_t nj);
+  void resize(std::size_t ni, std::size_t nj, std::size_t nk);
+
+protected:
+  /// get the addres of the first data element of the ith object in the bufefr
+  Real * start(std::size_t i);
+
+  /// get the number of transforms required for type T
+  std::size_t howMany() const;
+
+  std::size_t _dim;
+
+  std::size_t _ni;
+  std::size_t _nj;
+  std::size_t _nk;
+
+  std::vector<T> _buffer;
+
+  /// pointer to the start of the data
+  Real * _start;
+
+  /// stride in units of double size
+  std::ptrdiff_t _stride;
+};
diff --git a/src/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.C b/src/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.C
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f7cbce8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/userobjects/FFTBufferBase.C
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+/**********************************************************************/
+/*                     DO NOT MODIFY THIS HEADER                      */
+/* MAGPIE - Mesoscale Atomistic Glue Program for Integrated Execution */
+/*                                                                    */
+/*            Copyright 2017 Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC            */
+/*                        ALL RIGHTS RESERVED                         */
+/**********************************************************************/
+#include "FFTBufferBase.h"
+#include "MooseTypes.h"
+#include "RankTwoTensor.h"
+#include "RankThreeTensor.h"
+#include "RankFourTensor.h"
+
+// template <>
+// InputParameters
+// validParams<FFTBufferBase>()
+// {
+//   InputParameters params = validParams<GeneralUserObject>();
+//   params.addClassDescription("");
+//   return params;
+// }
+
+template <typename T>
+FFTBufferBase<T>::FFTBufferBase(const InputParameters & parameters) : GeneralUserObject(parameters)
+{
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+void
+FFTBufferBase<T>::resize()
+{
+  if (sizeof(Real) != sizeof(double))
+    mooseError("Invalid Real type size");
+  _buffer.resize(_ni * _nj * _nk);
+
+  // redo plan / pointers
+  auto istart = start(0);
+  std::ptrdiff_t istride = reinterpret_cast<char *>(start(1)) - reinterpret_cast<char *>(istart);
+  if (istride % sizeof(Real) != 0)
+    mooseError("Invalid data alignment");
+  istride /= sizeof(Real);
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+void
+FFTBufferBase<T>::resize(std::size_t ni)
+{
+  _ni = ni;
+  _nj = 1;
+  _nk = 1;
+  _dim = 1;
+  resize();
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+void
+FFTBufferBase<T>::resize(std::size_t ni, std::size_t nj)
+{
+  _ni = ni;
+  _nj = nj;
+  _nk = 1;
+  _dim = 2;
+  resize();
+}
+
+template <typename T>
+void
+FFTBufferBase<T>::resize(std::size_t ni, std::size_t nj, std::size_t nk)
+{
+  _ni = ni;
+  _nj = nj;
+  _nk = nk;
+  _dim = 3;
+  resize();
+}
+
+template <>
+Real *
+FFTBufferBase<Real>::start(std::size_t i)
+{
+  return &_buffer[i];
+}
+
+template <>
+Real *
+FFTBufferBase<RealVectorValue>::start(std::size_t i)
+{
+  return &_buffer[i](0);
+}
+
+template <>
+Real *
+FFTBufferBase<RankTwoTensor>::start(std::size_t i)
+{
+  return &_buffer[i](0, 0);
+}
+
+template <>
+Real *
+FFTBufferBase<RankThreeTensor>::start(std::size_t i)
+{
+  return &_buffer[i](0, 0, 0);
+}
+
+template <>
+Real *
+FFTBufferBase<RankFourTensor>::start(std::size_t i)
+{
+  return &_buffer[i](0, 0, 0, 0);
+}
+
+template <>
+std::size_t
+FFTBufferBase<Real>::howMany() const
+{
+  return 1;
+}
+
+template <>
+std::size_t
+FFTBufferBase<RealVectorValue>::howMany() const
+{
+  return LIBMESH_DIM;
+}
+
+template <>
+std::size_t
+FFTBufferBase<RankTwoTensor>::howMany() const
+{
+  return LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM;
+}
+
+template <>
+std::size_t
+FFTBufferBase<RankThreeTensor>::howMany() const
+{
+  return LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM;
+}
+
+template <>
+std::size_t
+FFTBufferBase<RankFourTensor>::howMany() const
+{
+  return LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM * LIBMESH_DIM;
+}
+
+// explicit instantiation
+template class FFTBufferBase<Real>;
+template class FFTBufferBase<RealVectorValue>;
+template class FFTBufferBase<RankTwoTensor>;
+template class FFTBufferBase<RankThreeTensor>;
+template class FFTBufferBase<RankFourTensor>;