A known method for producing a cylinder of quartz glass comprises a soot depositing process, in which SiO2 particles are deposited on an elongate carrier rotating about an axis of rotation with formation of a porous, hollow-cylindrical soot body, and a sintering process in which the soot body comprising an inner bore with inner wall, a longitudinal axis, an upper end and a lower end is held suspended in vertical orientation in a furnace, a holding element being provided for holding purposes, which projects from the upper end into the inner bore of the soot body and acts on a bearing provided in the inner bore. Starting from this, to indicate a method by means of which even heavy bodies of porous SiO2 with a small inner diameter can be safely held during sintering, it is suggested according to the invention that the bearing should be provided as an expanding bearing having at least one spreading element which is movable against the inner wall of the inner bore and which under the action of the holding element performs a movement with a movement component in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the soot body and is pressed against the inner wall.