Abstract: An apparatus for the orderly dispensing of wire to form a harness, comprising a strand pay out head which is moved by an automated control unit in two dimensions over a layout table having strategically positioned pegs and wire gripping elements thereon such that the wire is engaged in one of the gripping elements, entrained around certain of the pegs, secured in another of the gripping elements and cut, the entire process being performed repeatedly and automatically to lay all of the wires of the particular harness in the required configuration. The wire pay out head has a swivel mounted feed unit which receives wire from a continuous source and ordinarily the end of the wire projects slightly from the feed and is automatically retained by any of the gripping elements upon the passage therethrough of the feed unit, subsequent to which a knife on the pay out device cuts the wire if such is required for the harness being made.