diff --git a/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php b/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
index 3d7465cdc..b37cbc5f0 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Model/Model.php
@@ -2110,10 +2110,42 @@ class Model extends Object {
 		$this->findQueryType = $type;
 		$this->id = $this->getID();
 
+		$query = $this->buildQuery($type, $query);
+		if (is_null($query)) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		$results = $this->getDataSource()->read($this, $query);
+		$this->resetAssociations();
+
+		if ($query['callbacks'] === true || $query['callbacks'] === 'after') {
+			$results = $this->_filterResults($results);
+		}
+
+		$this->findQueryType = null;
+
+		if ($type === 'all') {
+			return $results;
+		} else {
+			if ($this->findMethods[$type] === true) {
+				return $this->{'_find' . ucfirst($type)}('after', $query, $results);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+/**
+ * Builds the query array that is used by the data source to generate the query to fetch the data.
+ *
+ * @param string $type Type of find operation (all / first / count / neighbors / list / threaded)
+ * @param array $query Option fields (conditions / fields / joins / limit / offset / order / page / group / callbacks)
+ * @return array Query array or null if it could not be build for some reasons
+ * @see Model::find()
+ */
+	public function buildQuery($type = 'first', $query = array()) {
 		$query = array_merge(
 			array(
 				'conditions' => null, 'fields' => null, 'joins' => array(), 'limit' => null,
-				'offset' => null, 'order' => null, 'page' => 1, 'group' => null, 'callbacks' => true
+				'offset' => null, 'order' => null, 'page' => 1, 'group' => null, 'callbacks' => true,
 			),
 			(array)$query
 		);
@@ -2155,23 +2187,8 @@ class Model extends Object {
 				return null;
 			}
 		}
-
-		$results = $this->getDataSource()->read($this, $query);
-		$this->resetAssociations();
-
-		if ($query['callbacks'] === true || $query['callbacks'] === 'after') {
-			$results = $this->_filterResults($results);
-		}
-
-		$this->findQueryType = null;
-
-		if ($type === 'all') {
-			return $results;
-		} else {
-			if ($this->findMethods[$type] === true) {
-				return $this->{'_find' . ucfirst($type)}('after', $query, $results);
-			}
-		}
+		
+		return $query;
 	}
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelReadTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelReadTest.php
index f6f17c528..7d7579277 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelReadTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Model/ModelReadTest.php
@@ -6010,6 +6010,34 @@ class ModelReadTest extends BaseModelTest {
 		$this->assertTrue(empty($result));
 	}
 
+/**
+ * test buildQuery()
+ *
+ * @access public
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testBuildQuery() {
+		$this->loadFixtures('User');
+		$TestModel = new User();
+		$TestModel->cacheQueries = false;
+
+		$expected = array(
+			'conditions' => array(
+				'user' => 'larry'),
+			'fields' => NULL,
+			'joins' => array (),
+			'limit' => NULL,
+			'offset' => NULL,
+			'order' => array(
+				0 => NULL),
+			'page' => 1,
+			'group' => NULL,
+			'callbacks' => true,
+			'returnQuery' => true);
+		$result = $TestModel->buildQuery('all', array('returnQuery' => true, 'conditions' => array('user' => 'larry')));
+		$this->assertEqual($expected, $result);
+	}
+
 /**
  * test find('all') method
  *