chopping block
A chopping block is a piece of wood that provides a solid, stable cutting surface and minimizes wear on a blade when cutting large amounts of meat. This led to it's much more notorious use during executions - if the condemned was sentenced to decapitation, their neck would be laid across a chopping block to make it easier to cut off their head.
Also known as a Butcher's Block, or an Executioner's Block, depending on it's intended use.