In regards to coil winding guys.

For basic setups the winding isnt too important. Put your spool onto a cordless drill, hold your other spool full of wire and turn sewing machine style

If you want a beautiful, neat coil you can make a little hand crank and take your time. Some double sided tape can help you get each layer neat. Wind (take note of clockwise or anti clock as this will determine your north and south) up the coil and then back down. You can insulate with masking/electrical tape to help keep it tight then repeat. Don Addist has a small pic tutorial here Winding Coils

YOu can wind all the way up and then string it down (directional winding i think its called?) But I cant see any real benefit from this. Someone prove me wrong if there is.