It is known to cut the wire of a wound coil against a support through which the coil passes, for example so as to cut the coil into predetermined lengths. This is accomplished by means of a cutting blade, the cutting blade being movable towards and away from the support such that, as the cutting blade moves towards the support, the blade is inserted between adjacent turns of the coil, and cuts the wire as the coil rotates. The disadvantage of this known method is that the blade does not reliably become inserted between adjacent turns of the coil, particularly when the coil is rotating at high speed, and this can lead to deformation of the ends of the coils. There is therefore a need to improve the method of cutting the wire so as to minimise any deformation of the ends of the coils, particularly when the coil is rotating at high speed.