The following directions for making a wooden creeper were originally published in 1921.
While the article was originally published for boys, this project can be made by anyone. The creeper does not need to be used in the garage. In fact it is a great way to move large plants around the home and it also comes in handy when gardening.
A Creeper For Garage
If Father likes to take care of his own car, as many car owners do, he has probably often wished that he knew of some scheme to make easier the work of getting under to reach out-of-the-way grease cups on the chassis. Why not build him a creeper, like those the mechanics use in the repair shops – or rather a wooden imitation of the spring affairs they use?
The creeper should be made strongly and of good sound wood – clear grained pine, yellow pine, cypress, or anything else that is handy – for Father is heavy. The stock for the framework should be 7/8-in. wood, 4 or 5 in. wide (B and B are 18 in. long; A and A are 36 in. long). Fasten the joints with screws. The platform on top should be made of some lighter boards, about 1/2 in. thick, taken from grocery boxes – strong but flexible enough to bend a little.
For wheels, get four strong furniture castors – preferably with metal wheels – at the hardware store. Select castors that have locking devices which drive into the holes first and keep the castors from falling out. Bore holes for the castors in the framework at C, C, C, and C before you nail down the top boards.
A head rest will be much a appreciated addition to the creeper for Father will tell you that his neck gets tired when he is working under the car. The standard (D) for the head rest should be cut out of a 2×4, and should be about a foot long, slanted so as to hold the rest about 4 in. above the creeper. The crosspiece should be a 1-in. board, 5×8 in., covered with cotton stuffed cloth. As it is often handy to take off the head rest for certain kinds of jobs, fasten it to the creeper with two long stove bolts.
Source: The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. (Richmond, Ind.), 29 Jan. 1921.
