Is there any way to "easily" motorize a hardin optical 8" reflector
scope? Right now it's on a particle board mount, and with a 4mm
eyepiece, it's hard to see anything for more than a few seconds. Is
there a kit or something? Or is this a Big Project?

It is possible to motorize a DOB, it will cost more than the scope itself.

That 4mm is 300x. With a 40 degree FOV eyepiece like an ortho, it takes about
30 seconds for the image to cross the field of view. Not a long time...

However, I think with a bit of experience, it becomes quite natural and 300X is
reasonably easily done.

If the scope is overly jerky, it is possible that something is amiss with the
bearings, a first step would be to make sure everything is clean and smooth.
At some point an upgrade to Ebony star on the base board along with teflon to
mate and on the altitude bearings would make things smoother but in my
experience the stock bearing work quite well.

It takes a bit of time to become accustomed to nudging a dob and some people
don't like it. But give yourself some time first, that advantages of ease of
setup and the more intuitive pointing of the scope are assets when first
beginning.

jon