A stator core manufacturing method has a winding process including an L-bending process in which an outer edge of a strip of steel sheet is bent at an angle to a general plane of the strip, an edgewise-bending process in which the outer edge of the strip is bent edgewise into an arc, and a roll-bending process in which the outer edge of the strip is bent into a curve warping in a thickness direction of the strip, wherein the L-bending process, the edgewise-bending process and the roll-bending process are performed successively in a predetermined sequence before the strip is wound in a spiral fashion so as to form a generally cylindrical core.