When it comes to building a custom wiring harness, there are multiple way to do it. The first is (if your kit manufacturer gives you the option) to buy a completed harness and install it. The second is to buy a similarly-complete panel and just wire the rest of the airframe. The third is to lay out a complete design for a harness and build it on the workbench, then transfer it to the airframe. And the fourth is to build it in place. I tend to combine the third and fourth options for my projects – and either way, the way I do it requires lots and lots (and lots) of cheap, colorful cable ties.
Why cheap? Because I put them on, cut them off, and throw them away! Why colorful? Because I don’t want any of the cheap cable ties in the completed airframe – so if there are cable ties come inspection day and they aren’t black, out they come! I use the big colorful packs of ties you can get at Harbor Freight or at a flea market for this purpose. When I add a wire, I tie it in place. Sometimes I might put it on and cut it off when I add the next wire two minutes later. Never mind—they are cheap!
Building up the harness this way creates a lot of scrap, but it keeps wires contained and going the direction I want, and helps me keep them all parallel which leads to really nice looking bundles when you tie them up for good. I am a “lacing cord” kind of guy, preferring lacing to cable ties in the finish airplane. I do use some cable ties—good quality ones in the finished ships where it is too hard to tie cord, or when I want a large bundle carefully secured to an anchor point (and an Adel clamp isn’t appropriate).
Cheap and colorful ties: there is a place for them in the building process… just not in the finished airplane. And yeah, buy the thousand pack—you’ll need them!
I do the wiring for a guy that contract builds kit plans and have wired almost 40 airplanes. I hate the waste of cutting off zip ties every time you want to add a wire so I bought a bag of removable ties, the kind that have a little tab you push to release them. When the project is done I replace them with permanent ones and get to reuse them on the next airplane.
I’ve got some re-usable ones, but when I got to release them, I end up with the release tab stabbing me under my fingernail! You don’t have to do that many times to be wary…. But re-usable can work sometimes – as do clothes-pins. I just take the cheap and easy way out.
I discovered Gear Ties by Nite Ize a couple years ago and bought a ton of them. Reuseable, different lengths/colors, with a bit of practice can be put off/off with one hand, and you don’t have to worry about nicking a wire when you cut them off.
And since they’re reuseable you only have to buy a hundred pack, not a thousand.
These kind of removable ties. Easier to remove and doesn’t stab under your fingernail
https://a.co/d/7yr5ect