Great job restoring this wonderful tool. ))))) I've never seen a flax hackle used to untangle wool. It does work )) Less crush compression on your wool fluff will make the spinning easier. Are you sure there weren't oiled leather strip bearings in the axle openings? Ditto on the touch points of the main spindle of the wheel. Small "telephone spindle" (like for early dial phones) (( or pencil dowel )) works great where your finger gets blisters turning the axle crank. Check out later style Great Walking Wheels for the spindle backing. That makes a backstop for the yarn as you make it. Laying the yarn on the spindle in a cone formation makes it easier to get the finished yarn off the spindle. If the backstop and bearings were destroyed by age it makes sense that you did not find them with the wood parts. Talk to the oldest women in the area. Some may still be using this style of wheel or remember their Grandmothers spinning with this style. Spinning is a great mind restorer in the modern world.