Thin woods your machine will be best controlled at slow speeds till your skills excel and confidence grows.Pine has different types of grain it it and some cut easy and some not so easy all in the same piece of wood ,this will cause your blade to wander going from one grain to another.Something to be on the look out for.Plywood is consistent No grain ,but cheapo types have voids i them and all of a sudden your blades races forward and will cause you to make a mistake intentionally.Using scroll reverse blades cuts down on a lot of sanding on the reverse side of your project if needed.Let the blade do the work and not force the wood in to it.Always remember when your having trouble controlling your cutting ,slow the machine down.hope this helps your scrolling pleasure!