Welcome to the community, @Adam_Baker! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: To clarify Airtable’s process, linking creates a relationship between individual records, not entire tables. Using a link field, you link one record in one table to another record in another table. The lookup field you mentioned can only be used once a link has been made, and can be used to pull data from the linked record on either side of the link.
Could you describe what you’re hoping to accomplish in greater detail? Knowing your end goal will make it easier to guide you in the right direction.