My understanding is that if you transfer a product to another then you're a dealer (don't ask how I learned this). No money needs to be involved. By the same token (sorry couldn't resist the pun) you can't sign off of any right to sue. So making frames for friends is selling and accepting all the liability that goes along. Even if a friend doesn't go after you another who was involved in the bad situation could.

So what do you do? One solution is to start to make a stock series of frames. No need to paint them but do protect them from rust. After you have the chops then these can be sold off and offset the investment. Another is to work under someone else for a while. Good luck here, there are only a few openings every so often. Not many other industries use the fab and brazing skills the frame building does but finding one is another way to build your skill set.

Basicly it takes money to make money. Like when opening a bike shop. There's money for the overhead (tools, rent, fixtures) and then there's the cost of the inventory (the frames you practice on that might sell later). Good luck. Andy.