Problem solve-d
I tried an SRAM 9-speed chain instead of the Shimano 10 sp - cured the chainring issue nicely (and adds to the Franken-drivetrain appeal too!). On the back side, re-looked at my JTek setup. Needed to flip the pulley inside the JTek (silly setup issue) and it works famously.
Wish that I could get somewhat better chain alignment. Center chainring (triple) aligns approx with 6th cog (from largest). But not enough room for an adequate cassette shim, nor much room inboard of the crankset. So I think this is more a characteristic of the Bob Jackson World Tour frame.
Seems like mostly an aesthetic thing though, since it runs through all gear combinations very smoothly.
-j