I use a clover iron like that for applique. For an "ironing board", I use a reversable cutting mat/ironing pad on top f a wooden tray table from Wally World. The advantage of the clover is that it can fit into tight areas and takes no time to heat up.. I do not like the clover tile that came with it - that little iron gets too hot to be safe, so I keep an old coffee mug around to use as a more stable holder. The new ones have snazzy attachments to cut templates and such, but I have not tried them.
There's also the kind that looks like a tiny iron.