I am new so i'm still figuring things out but i love my big table and wish i had more table space. I use more than 22" of table when cutting so i can cut from large pieces without the fabric hanging over the edge of the table. A few times i've had it try to pull itself away and it wasn't easy to cut straight. In the past i would have to cut large items like curtains by setting things up on the floor. I used to have 2 of the square restaurant type tables side by side for cutting and ironing and it was perfect but my space doesn't allow for it anymore.
As for the ironing space, i use my one large table and have a small ironing board that i set up on the table as needed. I can't do the entire quilt at once but like you said, i can iron the blocks as i go and then do the final seems in rows easily on the small board. I've also discovered that i like ironing right on the table top without the ironing board. I throw a large flannel bed sheet down first and haven't had any problem with it harming the table.
Last night i glue basted and ironed a quilt sandwich together right on the table top and it worked great!