Hi,
According to an article I read a few weeks back, it suggests that browers will start to phase out compatibility for tables within the next couple of years.
An alternative way to control the layout of your pages is to use css layers. This can be a tricky subject to get your head around at first but believe me, it is worth it in the long term. My page sizes are so small compared to how they used to look using tables.
There is a free css generator at :
http://www.csscreator.com/
You can specify the exact size of the layout you want and it will produce the code for you. This way, you can see how it is constructed (i learn better this way).
For table style layouts using css within the actual page it is always worth checking out the following :
http://www.w3schools.com
http://www.echoecho.com
http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/styles...csslayout.html
They should provide you with enough tutorials to get you well on your way.
John