Fire pump drill advice

[awarner]

Having a go at making a fire pump drill but it seems I am making a few mistakes.
The shaft of hazel I have is about 15mm wide and a good 600mm+ long, the pump handle (if that's the correct term) is about 400mm and the flywheel is around 200mm by 30mm thick made of holly so it has some weight to it.

So far I only appear to be able to get about two pumps before it stops, I'm using quite soft paracord but the hazel still has the bark on the shaft.
It's as if the flywheel is not getting enough momentum but on videos I have seen much smaller versions spinning quite freely.
Could it be the hearth is causing too much friction and needs bedding in?

A lot of questions and I appreciate that it's not easy to help without actually seeing everything in action, any pointers would be gratefully received.

 

[bopdude]

You got any pictures ? The only time I've tried I didn't use a flywheel, it was going well untill my pump handle snapped, the wood was a bit iffy, it was all just made onsite as a 'let's give it a go' type thing, I just bought myself a bearing to make a bearing block to try this again,from better wood this time. When you say it just stopped, do you mean it got tangled or how ?

EDIT: just thinking, I must have had some sort of flywheel / weight, can't remember now ?

 

[Toddy]

It sounds like your string length. The pump drill needs at least three wraps to get going I find, so there's quite a lot of travel up and down the shaft.

M

 

[awarner]

There are more than three wraps so I'm guessing the flywheel does not have enough weight to keep the momentum up.
The picture below are of a couple of attempts, paracord is not tidy as I have tried various lengths etc.
Next is to try an oak flywheel, making use of what is at hand.
(just realised the picture does not show both flywheels but they are the same size)

 

[Tommyd345]

Spinning is a weight problem. But i found you can have weighted ends (I lashed a rock to each end of a split hazel sandwich) and they worked nicely. BUT make sure legs are out of the way, as a spinning rock to the shin is really painful!

 

[awarner]

A larger oak disc sorted the problem out, all spinning well now.

 

[Toddy]

Very good
I bored through a flat stone to make mine.
It's just a case of pecking out a hollow with a harder stone, filling that with sand and using a spindle stick with a bow to burr it out. The sand beds into the end of the spindle and it's that and the burring action that drills out the stone.
How to put a hole through a stone using a stick
That gives you a parallel sided hole to fit your pump drill spindle through.

M