So - are you saying I need to build the tables first, such as in JCE, and then convert them with this plugin?

What is the difference between a "plain HTML table" and a "static HTML table?"

Again, all I want to do is display text, links, and images in a simple grid, whose appearance remains the same across many unique product pages. And to have the content remain searchable. Please describe the sequence of tasks to make this happen effectively.

If you want to show data from a database or CSV file, it doesn't requires to create tables in editors. If want to use "Data Table" for an existing HTML table then it is possible to do it with help of "ARI Smart Content - Data Table" plugin. It is described here.

No difference between "plain HTML table" and "static HTML table".

Regards,
ARI Soft