Okay, there is no easy way to build hours for a low time cpl unless you're lucky and get work straight away with someone prepared to give you a break. I think that in this industry, a lot of it is "who you know, not what you know".
Going the "flying for free" route will only get you a bad name. The reason being why should an employer pay someone to fly when someone will do it for free, which has the knock on effect of lower pay rates or no pay rates! Guaranteed to make you popular in the helicopter community.
Secondly, in the UK it has cost me probably £50k+, to get my licences, ratings etc and if someone comes along and stops me earning money with that licence,(if I ever manage to find work) I wouldn't be happy!!!!!!
I personally wouldn't advise anyone to go for a commercial licence at the minute but that's my personal opinion right now, unless of course, daddy just happens to own a helicopter and lets you have use of it to hour build. Oh, and buys you an AOC too.