BRISTOL - Antique tools lie strewn about Robert Materne's work space. Ebony wood and hand-made inlays are among the many materials scattered throughout his chaotic, yet systematic, shop. An eight-foot masterpiece of perfection towers above the clutter below. The simplistic structure is two feet wide and layered with a shellac finish. Small brass knobs stretch to the sky like spires on a steeple from its top.

The Roxbury-style grandfather clock is just days from delivery to a destination, unique from any other he's delivered a clock to before — Little Rock, Ark., and the library of former President Bill Clinton, more than 1,500 miles from his Burnside Street shop.

Robert Materne replicates a grandfather clock for the library of former Preisdent Bill Clinton.

The clock is one of the pieces of furniture sought by Mr. Clinton to transform his library in Little Rock into a tantamount replica of the Oval Office.

"Basically, I tried to make it exactly like the original. It's exciting really to think that Clinton is going to open this door and see this," Mr. Materne said, pointing to his sealed name etched on the clock's interior.

Negotiations for the replica began in Nov. 2003, after the Clintons learned about Mr. Materne's work through an Internet search. Phone calls were exchanged — though not directly between Mr. Materne and the former president — and the research began, a grueling month of measurements and note-taking.

Mr. Materne was not allowed access to the Oval Office, though. And since antique clocks cannot be exposed to flash photography, the process was tedious to say the least.

"This was such an intense job and it took so long that everything else had to be put off ... I even had to make special tools for some of the parts," Mr. Materne said.

Mr. Materne typically reproduces Simon Willard clocks, but the grandfather clock in the oval office is a Thomas Seymour, slightly larger and more intricate than a Willard-style clock. Replicating the Seymour clock was challenging, rewarding and downright "nerve-wrecking" when it came to gathering the antique materials, he said.

At his shop, Mr. Materne makes his own inlays and often uses original glues and a shellac finish. He hand picks his veneer and quality, he said, which is difficult to find. Once assembly of the clock began in June, Mr. Materne dropped everything to focus on this project — perhaps the most exciting of his 20-year career.

The 'Repro' man

Mr. Materne grew up in Barrington and moved to Rehoboth, Mass., five years ago. A furniture major at Rhode Island School of Design, he had a clear vision early on of what he wanted to produce.

"I didn't want to go into gallery work. Reproduction is what I went into. I grew up around antiques," he said.

Working out of Bristol's Herreshoff Marine Museum since 1986, Mr. Materne has specialized in Willard-style clocks. His pieces are always reproductions, often replicating furniture and clocks from the late 1700s or early 1800s. Most of his work is shipped out of state, but he has a few local projects pending for people in Barrington and Providence.

The cost of his clocks, he said, is contingent upon a variety of elements, though some have sold for up to $10,000. Mr. Clinton's clock is nearly complete except for the installation of its 14-inch dial — a dial that suffered a small scratch and is in need of extra attention. Mr. Materne wouldn't reveal the price Mr. Clinton is paying for his replica, though.

'Like having a new baby'

Mr. Materne makes special deliveries throughout the country to such locales as Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle. But he said no such request has been this unusual or exciting.

"I know some people don't like Clinton, but I do. My favorite bumper sticker out there right now is: 'Clinton lied, but nobody died,'" Mr. Materne said.

When he began building the clock in June, the only person he spoke to about the project was his wife. Mr. Materne decided to keep the special order a secret for at least a little while.

"It was like having a new baby. I wasn't sure when I wanted to break the news," he said.

The Seymour-style clock has been a satisfying experience for Mr. Materne and a finished product likely to increase national interest in the Bristol clockmaker's work.

A grand opening for Mr. Clinton's library is scheduled for November with more than 2,000 people expected to attend.

"It's a cool story. My family's jazzed. My kids are pumped. There are 13-year-old girls who even want to see this clock," Mr. Materne said.

by jason turcotte

jturcotte@eastbaynewspapers.com