I have a Stanley #5 Type 11. I just finished flattening the sole the other day and the tool has cleaned up beautifully. It's just gorgeous. Yesterday I began flattening the back of the iron prior to sharpening. This thing is light years away from being flat. I spent 45 minutes on it, it's not even close. I thought about just putting a back bevel on it and sharpening but I was already frustrated and stopped for the night. Now I'm thinking maybe I'll camber it and use it for material removal on rough work since I'd like to have something that functions somewhat like a scrub plane anyway.
This got me to reading about different irons used in jack planes and now my head is spinning and I have more unknowns than knowns. I'm wondering if anyone can help me make more sense of this tool. I know that a cambered iron will remove a lot of material; good for rough work. I'm wondering what other types of irons (shapes, bevel angles, etc) can help this plane fill other roles. What's a good iron configuration for smoothing? for flattening? etc. I know there are better planes for these jobs but this is the best plane I have right now. Should I just camber this blade? Should I just use a back bevel instead? Does it even make sense to try using this for smoothing and flattening as well or should I just start acquiring those specialized planes? I'm certainly not building any fine furniture right now. Mostly just practicing, skill building, and tinkering around. Thanks as always for your knowledge.