You need to have the pallet & escape wheel set for minimum contact. If you look closely at the friction points during a “tick” you’ll see that the pallet is shaped so that the escape wheel’s teeth barely touch it as the pallet flips. The curvature of the pallet end is key - it’s often taken off a reflection of the curve of the wheel or hub. The escape wheel teeth are very thin and pointy to further that action. In most cases that’s where the critical lubrication is found as it influences the impulse timing of the clock (or watch). Wood is hard to get good long-lasting lubrication. That’s why I think acrylic might be a good alternative - and perhaps even a bit of graphite powder or even a teflon surface. What was that super-slick tape that someone found here a year or so ago?
Or, Bloxham’s gravity escapement is what’s used in really large clocks even today. That’s one that would seem to lend itself to a wooden clock as you can easily setup the falling weight to provide a lot of extra power.
If I were doing it, I’d actually use Harrison’s grasshopper escapement. It’s not as accurate as a deadbeat but it’s got a really unique style and elegance of line. If you really work at it you can get a pretty accurate clock (fractional seconds per month). But it’s likely no one who sees your clock will have ever seen a grasshopper. Bragging rights 
Definitely try the acrylic for the pallet. They’re usually harder than the gear material for a good reason. You could even keep the wooden pallet fork but use an acrylic insert for the tips or friction surfaces. That way you could have the rigidity of the 1/8" wood but the hardness of the acrylic and not lose the overall “woodness” of the clock as just the two inserts would be acrylic.