A method for making a wound field for an electric motor, generator or alternator includes the steps continuously winding an insulated conductor into a coil, having a first plurality of windings wound in a first direction, and a second plurality of windings wound in a second direction opposite the first direction; flattening the coil into a two-layered flat web, and rolling the flat, two-layered web end-to-end into a cylindrical configuration. In one embodiment, a multiphase wound field can be made by winding a plurality of insulated conductors about a common axis to form a group of adjacent coil units. After the first group of coil units is wound, second and subsequent groups can be wound, in alternating directions of winding with respect to the first group, to form an elongate winding assembly. The entire assembly, is then flattened and rolled end-to-end. This create a wound field that is ready for insertion into a magnetic return path of an electric motor which has a higher density than was previously possible. As a result, current loss due to hysteresis and other features is materially reduced.