A tieless bracing arrangement is provided for rigidly supporting the winding end turns of a dynamoelectric machine in relatively rigid operating position. The bracing arrangement is characterized by including an expandable annulus having a spreader that is operable in conjunction with a plurality of slidably mounted dowels to selectively hold the annulus open while it is positioned adjacent to the machine end turns and then to compress the annulus tightly against the end turns to secure them in operating position. A novel method is also disclosed for applying the tieless bracing to a dynamoelectric machine.