Question: I have a number of tables with the same columns and it would look a lot nicer if they shared the same column widths. Is such a thing possible? Putting them in the same table with some rows with no borders between them isn't an option.

**Edit:** Yeah I'm aware I can fix the widths myself but I was hoping for something that would tie in to the browser's column width algorithm but simply tied two or more tables together for the purpose of doing that layout.

I didn't think such a thing was possible but I thought I'd check just in case.

Answer: 
each pair of tables resize its columns to the same width  

similar to **Ole J. Helgesen** but with jquery and a parameter in order to select which tables equalize.  

(I cant vote but it's essentially your solution)

```
<table data-ss="1" border="1">
  <tr><td>asdf<td>129292<td>text
</table>
<table data-ss="1" border=1>
  <tr><td>a<td>1<td>each column here has the same size than the table above
</table>
<table data-ss="2" border=1>
  <tr><td>asdf<td>129292<td>text
</table>
<table data-ss="2" border=1>
  <tr><td>each column here has the same size than the table above<td>a<td>1
</table>

```

and use this sctipt

```
$(function(){
  resizeTables('1');
  resizeTables('2');
});

//please set table html attribute `data-ss="something"` to properly call this js
// ss is short for SharedSize
function resizeTables(sharedSize){
  var tableArr = $('table[data-ss='+sharedSize+']');
  var cellWidths = new Array();
  $(tableArr).each(function() {
    for(j = 0; j < $(this)[0].rows[0].cells.length; j++){
       var cell = $(this)[0].rows[0].cells[j];
       if(!cellWidths[j] || cellWidths[j] < cell.clientWidth) cellWidths[j] = cell.clientWidth;
    }
  });
  $(tableArr).each(function() {
    for(j = 0; j < $(this)[0].rows[0].cells.length; j++){
        $(this)[0].rows[0].cells[j].style.width = cellWidths[j]+'px';
    }
  });
}

```
You can sync the column widths by combining the tables (as suggested by @Stefanvds), but using a `tbody` + `th` for each:

```css
table {
  border-collapse: collapse;
}

table thead,
table tbody {
  border-bottom: solid;
}

table tbody th {
  text-align: left;
}
```

```html
<table>
  <thead>
    <tr> <th> ID <th> Measurement <th> Average <th> Maximum
  <tbody>
    <tr> <td> <th scope=rowgroup> Cats <td> <td>
    <tr> <td> 93 <th scope=row> Legs <td> 3.5 <td> 4
    <tr> <td> 10 <th scope=row> Tails <td> 1 <td> 1
  <tbody>
    <tr> <td> <th scope=rowgroup> English speakers <td> <td>
    <tr> <td> 32 <th scope=row> Legs <td> 2.67 <td> 4
    <tr> <td> 35 <th scope=row> Tails <td> 0.33 <td> 1
</table>
```

Source: [Example in the HTML spec itself](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/tables.html#the-th-element)