A coil former provides for restricted cross-over locations for a coil resulting in an optimum wire packing at all points within the coil. The coil former has a first side wall in a spaced relation to an opposing second side wall, wherein a cavity formed between the side walls accommodates multiple turns of wire for forming a coil. A block is fixed between the opposing first and second side walls and has its peripheral wall surface tapered from the first wall surface inwardly toward the opposing second wall surface for preferentially receiving and positioning turns of wire forming the coil.