i think i understand you.
Here is an example of a page section i just created using the repeating table method i described.
the repeating table is linked to a database and will display up to 12 items, (3x4) , then i use pagination if there are more rows in the database
the shot only shows 5 items, but the table is 3 across as you can see.
if this isn't what you mean, please reply.